Columbia  ®nibers;it|> 
in  tJeCitp  of  i^eto  gorfe 

College  of  3^\}v^kimsi  anb  ^urgeonjS 


3^ef  erence  Mrarp 


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in  2010  with  funding  from 

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http://www.archive.org/details/memorialsketcheOOgunn 


V^i^ 


EMORiAL  Sketches 


OF 


Doctor  Moses  Gunn. 

BY   HIS   WIFE. 


WITH   EXTRACTS   FROM    HIS   LETTERS 


EULOGISTIC    TRIBUTES 


FEOM     HIS 


COLLEAGUES  AND  FRIENDS. 


CHICAGO: 
W.  T.  KEENER,  96  Washington  St. 

1889. 


CoPYBiGHT,  W.  T.  Keenee,  1889. 


>L^/ 


I^ebicateb 


TO 


MY    HUSBAND, 

THE  CENTER   ROUND  WHICH  ALL   MY  MEMORIES  REVOLVE 


PEEFACE. 


I  have  sought  in  these  sketches  to  present  a  por- 
trait of  my  husband  limned  from  different  points  of 
view. 

Letters,  like  autobiography,  bring  us  nearer  to  the 
personality  of  the  writer,  especially  when  these  are  un- 
premeditated. This  is  the  quality  of  Doctor  Gunn's 
correspondence — a  family  correspondence — which  was 
never  intended  for  publication,  but  which  now  largely 
makes  up  these  pages. 

In  the  language  of  his  letters  is  seen  a  shadow  of 
his  living  self;  those  from  the  army  describe  his  ex- 
perience as  a  surgeon  in  a  military  camp. 

His  protestations  in  behalf  of  General  McClellan, 
while  they  may  be  of  no  value  to  his  memory,  are 
strong  expressions  of  his  individual  belief  in  the  man. 

His  hurried  letters  written  during  a  rapid  tour 
through  Europe,  are  inserted  simply  to  show  his  tem- 
perament and  his  keen  sense  of  enjoyment. 

To  those  who  have  set  forth  their  conceptions  of 
his  character  and  attainments,  which  are  herein  em- 
bodied, and  to  others  who  have  in  any  way  aided  me, 
I  feel  most  grateful. 

J.  A.  G. 

2101  Calumet  Avenue,   Chicago. 


COjN^TENTS. 


PAGE. 

Introduction xvii 


CHAPTEK  I. 

Birth  and  Lineage — Youthful  Devotion  to  His 
Sister — Boyhood — Academic  Studies  Inter- 
rupted by  Illness 1 

CHAPTER  IL 

Student  Life — Eecollections  of  Dr.  Corydon  L. 
Ford  and  Others 13 

CHAPTER  III. 
A  Bit  of  Romantic  History 20 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Doctor  Gunn's  Personal  Reminiscences,  "Written 
for  "The  Chronicle"  in  1886 23 

vii 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEE  V. 

PAGE. 

Arriyal  at  Ann  Arbor — "Satan,"  His  First  Horse; 
"Bishop,"  Satan's  Successor — The  Doctor's 
Devotions 36 

CHAPTEE  VI. 

A  Night  Call— Winter  of  1849-1850  in  New 
York,  Philadelphia  and  Boston — Letters 40 

CHAPTEE  VII. 

The  First  House  —  Domestic  Economy  —  Anec- 
dotes— Removal  to  Detroit 61 

CHAPTEE  VIII. 

"Chestnut  Place" — Enters  the  Army  —  Letters 
from  Camp — Experiences  in  Wind  and  Rain — 
Hard  Day's  Work — Runaway  Attempt  to  Ex- 
plore Enemy's  Country  —  Broadhead's  Cav- 
alry— Camp  Richardson  Deserted 68 

CHAPTEE  IX. 

Marching  Orders  Countermanded  — -  October 
Roses  —  Alexandria  —  Camp  Quarters  at  Fort 
Lyon — -The  Lewis  Mansion — Mount  Vernon.  .      89 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTEE  X. 

PAGE. 

Second  Visit  to  Mount  Yernon — Tribulations  with 
Fire-Places — Reconnaissance  —  A  Ducking  — 
Poliick  Church  —  A  Camp  Union  Menu  — 
Leave  of  Absence .    101 

CHAPTER  XL 

> 

Return  to  the  Army  —  Takes  his  Son  into  the 
Field — Quarters  in  an  Old  Confederate  Camp — 
Before  Torktown— McClellan's  "  Delay" 116 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Anxieties  and  Cares — Camp  Breakfast;  Charlie's 
Fritters — Questions  Answered — Scenes  Dur- 
ing and  After  the  Battle  of  Williamsburg  — 
Glyndon  Missing 126 

CHAPTER  Xni. 

A  Boy  Surgeon — A  " Trivial  Incident"  and  its  Re- 
sult— "Writing  in  Camp  no  Fool  of  a  Trick" — 
Dixie — N  earing  Richmond  Apace — Ten  Miles 
from  Richmond — McClellan's  Plan 142 

CHAPTER  XIY. 
The  Surgeon's  Field  of  Glory 157 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEE  XY. 

PAGE. 

Neyer  a  Day  Too  Late  —  Halleck  and  McClellan 
—  Camp  Affliction  —  Wretclied  Medical  Man- 
agement      159 

CHAPTEE  XVI. 

Doctor    Gnnn's    Arrival   in  Washington  —  Home 

Agfain — Horse  and  Hound 169 

CHAPTEE  XVn. 
Death  of  his  Son  Glyndon 174 

CHAPTEE  xyni. 

Removal    to    Chicago — Welcoming    Address     at 

Inauguration  of  New  College  Building 178 

CHAPTEE  XIX. 

Effects  of  the  Chicago  Fire — List  of  Doctor  Gunn's 
Writings  —  Professor  J.  Adams  Allen's  Biog- 
raphy of  Doctor  Gunn 200 

CHAPTEE  XX. 

Dangerous  Hlness  —  Crosses  the  Ocean  with  a 
Party  of  Doctors — Letter  fi'om  Steamer  Gallia — 
Queenstown  —  Cork  —  Shandon  Bells  —  Bed 
Letter  Day  at  Killarney — Giant's  Causeway — 
The  Highlands  of  Scotland — London 212 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTEE  XXI. 

PAGE. 

Doctor  Gunn's  Philosophy  —  Amsterdam  —  The 
Bhine — Heidelberg — Swiss  Letters — Bern  and 
the  Bears  —  Chamouny  —  Paris  —  London  — 
Home 237 

CHAPTEE  XXII. 

011a  Podrida — Editorial  Controversies — Dread  of 
Hyper-Medication   261 

CHAPTEE  XXIII. 

011a  Podiida,  Continued — Peddlers — Bough  Emer- 
alds— Tenderness  to  Children 274 

CHAPTEE  XXIV. 

011a  Podrida,  Continued  —  Punctuality  —  An  iVni- 
mated  Hitching-Post — His  Devotion  to  Astron- 
omy      279 

CHAPTEE  XXV. 

Our  Tour  Abroad — The  Organ  at  Bern — Alone  in 
the  Alps— The  Bhone  Glacier 291 

CHAPTEE  XXVI. 

Berlin  —  Paris  —  Historical  Associations  versus 
Clothes  —  Baroness  Burdett  -  Coutts '  "At 
Home" 303 


XU  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEK  XXYII. 


PAGE. 


Homeward  Bound — The  Doctor  again  in  Harness — 

Shopping  Horrors  fi'om  his  Little  Diary 310 

CHAPTEE  XXYHI. 

Interest  in  his  Clinics — A  Doctor's  Anxieties  — 
Doctor  Gimn  from  a  Student's  Standpoint  — 
His  Sti'ong  Personality 315 

CHAPTEE  XXIX. 

A  Doctor's  Best  Eoad  to  Success — Philosophy  of 
Dislocations   326 

CHAPTEE  XXX. 

Yisit  to  California — The  Beginning  of  the  End — 
St.  Clair  Springs  —  Doctor  Gunn's  Last  Ill- 
ness— Short  Convalescence 331 

CHAPTEE  XXXI. 

"June,"  the  Doctor's  Saddle-Horse  —  The  Light 
Goes  Out 337 

CHAPTEE  XXXn. 

Letters  and  Tributes :  Professor  Corydon  L.  Ford — 
Eev.  George  F.  Nelson  ■ — •  Dr.  Claudius  H. 
Mastin  —  Mrs.  Kate  H.  Lyman — Dr.  Eoswell 
Park — Dr.  Henry  M.  Lyman 341 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

PAGE. 

Extracts    from    Dr.    Hyde's    Address  —  Professor 
Parkes'  Eulogy 356 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

Tribute  from  Reverend  Dr.  Clinton  Locke 368 


A  Few  Last  Words 378 


TLLUSTEATIOTsTS. 


PoRTKAiT  OF  MosES  GuNN Frontispiece. 

Bonnet  Ceest xv 

Photo-Grayure  from  Kretschmar's  Medallion.  341 


Il^TEODUCTIOI^. 


There  is  no  better  way  in  which  to  introduce  these 
sketches  than  by  some  quotations  from  Professor  James 
Nevins  Hyde's  Report  on  Necrology,  so  graphically 
written,  and  published  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Illi- 
nois State  Medical  Society  for  1888. 

"Professor  Gunn's  reputation 
as  one  of  the  leading  surgeons  of  the  country  was, 
however,  largely  attained  after  the  establishment  of 
his  connection  with  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago, 
Illinois.         .  .  .         Here  he  remained  actively 

engaged  in  his  practice  as  a  surgeon,  and  in  his  duties 
as  a  teacher  of  medicine,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred,  after  an  illness  of  several  weeks,  on  the 
fourth  of  November,  1887. 

Professor  Gunn  was  granted  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Laws,  by  the  University  of  Chicago,  in  the  year  1877. 

"At  the  date  of  his  death,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
American  Surgical  Association,  an  original  member  of 
the  American  Association  of  Genito-Urinary  Surgeons, 
and  in  each  capacity  a  member  of   the  Congress  of 


XVll 


XVlll  INTRODUCTION. 

American  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  a  member  of  the 
Illinois  State  Medical  Society,  of  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association,  and  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society. 

"Besides  the  work  required  in  his  college  profes- 
sorship he  served  as  a  surgeon  on  the  active  and  con- 
sulting staff  of  a  number  of  the  public  charities  of  this 
city,  including  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  St.  Joseph's 
Hospital,  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  and  more  particularly 
the  Presbyterian  Hospital,  where  in  later  years  some 
of  his  most  brilliant  surgical  operations  were  per- 
formed. 

"Like  most  of  the  truly  great  surgeons  of  the  civil- 
ized world.  Professor  Gunn  won  his  exalted  place  in 
the  ranks  of  his  profession  by  his  success,  first,  as  a 
judicious,  yet  brilliant,  always  neat,  and  wonderfully 
successful  operator;  second,  by  his  fame  as  an  oral 
teacher  of  his  art.  He  was  indeed  a  scholarly  and 
accurate  writer,  and  had  composed  a  systematic  treatise 
on  Surgery  which  was  destroyed  in  the  Great  Chicago 
Fire. 

"But  his  fame,  like  that  of  Yelpeau,  Nelaton, 
Hunter,  Parker  and  Mott,  will  always  rest  rather  on 
what  he  did  with  his  knife  than  with  his  pen.  All  of 
his  accomplishments,  and  they  were  not  a  few,  were 
subordinated  to  his  surgical  skill,  on  which  his  repu- 
tation was  firmly  based.     He  was,  for  a  physician,  an 


INTRODUCTION.  XIX 

unusually  accurate  accountant,  a  good  churcliman,  an 
excellent  horseman,  a  lover  of  the  best  general  litera- 
ture, a  skillful  architect,  an  amateur  astronomer,  and  a 
man  of  refined  tastes  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  art. 
But  upon  none  of  these  subjects  did  he  set  his  heart 
to  any  extent  comparable  with  the  untiring  zeal  and 
zest  displayed  in  the  discharge  of  his  professional 
duties. 

"With  the  enormous  demands  upon  his  time,  he 
never,  when  in  health,  was  known  to  fail  to  enter  his 
lecture  room  at  the  stroke  of  the  bell,  or  to  be  punctual 
at  the  appointed  hour  for  a  consultation.  The  clinical 
work  he  did  in  public  was  the  chief  delight  of  his  life. 
There  he  was  truly  royal  in  word  and  act.  His  superb 
figure  and  commanding  presence  in  the  amphitheatre 
are  the  imperishable  souvenirs  of  thousands  of  young 
medical  men,  who  have  learned  from  his  life  their  first 
lesson  in  practical  surgery,  and  have  followed  with 
their  eyes  the  wonderful  play  of  the  instruments  in  his 
hand,  guided  by  an  anatomical  knowledge  that  few,  as 
fully  as  he,  possessed. 

"Professor  Gunn  came  thus  to  be  known  to  the 
world  at  large,  as  one  of  the  most  eminent  surgeons 
of  his  day — a  man  of  remarkable  presence,  of  high 
moral  character,  and  of  the  best  social  position.  But 
to  those  who  were  admitted  to  share  the  intimacy  of 


XX  INTRODUCTION. 

Ms  friendship,  he  exhibited  qualities  which  others 
often  scarcely  suspected.  He  was  in  all~tliese  non- 
professional relations,  found  to  be  singularly  modest, 
gentle  as  a  woman,  light-hearted  as  a  boy,  faithful  in 
his  friendships,  fixed  in  an  honest  hatred  of  all  shams 
and  pretenders,  and  exhibiting  in  every  judgment  of 
his  mind  a  strong  common  sense  that  illumined  every 
dark  corner  into  which  he  looked. 

"Professor  Moses  Gunn  was  one  of  those  men  who 
would  have  been  great  in  any  sphere  of  life.  He  was, 
viewed  from  every  side,  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  great 
men  whose  names  the  medical  profession  will  always 
treasure  with  gratitude  and  respect.  His  memory  is 
enshrined  to-day  in  that  pantheon  of  honor,  where  the 
most  learned  of  jurists,  the  ablest  ecclesiastics,  the 
most  successful  military  heroes,  and  the  immortal  poets 
and  artists  of  America  are  numbered  with  its  famous 
physicians  and  surgeons." 


MEMOR 


OF 


Doctor  Moses  Gunn. 


CHAPTER  FIEST. 

n^HESE  desultory  memoirs  were  begun  in  those  first 
^  days  of  enthusiasm,  when  as  the  pages  grew  under 
my  hand,  I  found  they  were  shaping  themseh'es  into 
something  like  a  domestic  romance.  And  though  this 
tendency  may  still  in  a  measure  cling  to  them.  I  have 
as  far  as  possible  divested  them  of  their  original 
character.  Knowing  that  husks  only,  with  a  few 
approved  kernels  can  be  used,  and  realizing  that  there 
is  nothing  heroic  to  relate,  according  to  the  workVs 
idea  of  heroism  (physicians'  battles  with  disease  are 
seldom  recounted),  and  that  my  husband's  colleagues 
and  fiiends  have  kindly  chronicled  his  professional 
accomplishments  and  many  of  his  manly  qualities, 
I  yet  desire  to  add  a  few  incidents  in  his  life.  If 
in  delineating  these  my  personality  has  been  intruded 


^  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 

where  it  might  have  been  ayoicled,  I  hope  for  a  lenient 
judgment. 

Friday,  November  4th,  1887,  dates  the  close  of  a 
useful  life;  the  life  of  a  man  whose  devotion  to  his 
family  and  to  his  profession,  services  to  the  world,  aid 
to  suffering  humanity,  and  earnest  counsel  to  those 
whom  his  enthusiasm  aroused  to  nobler  effort,  must 
make  his  removal  keenly  felt  by  all. 

To  me  his  loss  is  irreparable.  All  I  have  left  is  the 
rich  legacy  of  his  love,  my  choicest  heritage;  in  that  I 
liA'e.  and  if  from  the  garnered  recollections  of  the  past, 
I  can  frame  a  tribute  to  my  husband,  it  is  the  only  task 
that  can  bring  relief  or  make  less  insupportable  each 
day  of  my  life.  I  think  of  him  in  every  sleepless  hour; 
and  in  my  waking,  endless  dreams — I  dream  of  him. 

If,  among  the  thousands  with  whom  he  was  con- 
nected, there  are  any  who  find  interest  in  these  pages, 
it  will  repay  my  days  of  labor  and  my  nights  of  tears. 
The  labor  has  been  no  hardship,  only  an  unremitting 
struggle  lest  I  should  too  frequently  reveal  the  under- 
current of  deeper  feeling,  or  portray  too  often  the 
reverse  of  the  picture,  showing  the  trivialities  in  our 
lives. 


Moses  Gunn  was  a  man  who  made  the  world  better 
for  liavino^  lived  in  it.    Not  that  he  was  more  charitable 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  o 

or  more  amiable  than  his  peers.  On  the  contrary,  he 
had  a  high-spirited  nature,  impatient  sometimes;  but 
underlying  this,  he  had  great  geniality,  the  highest 
sense  of  honor,  the  keenest  sensibilities,  and  the  liveli- 
est sympathies. 

He  was  born  in  East  Bloomfield,  New  York, 
April  20th,  1822 — the  youngest  of  four  children.  His 
father,  Linus  Gunn,  was  of  Scotch  descent;  tall  and 
powerfully  built,  he  was  the  embodiment  of  ^"igor. 
Many  stories  are  told  of  his  prowess  and  endurance; 
and  the  ancient  tradition  of  the  universal  hospitality  of 
the  Scots  seems  to  have  been  transmitted  to  him.  His 
liberality,  his  honesty  of  purpose,  and  his  Christianity, 
which  consisted  not  alone  of  being  a  zealous  member 
and  supporter  of  the  Church,  bore  fruit  in  acts  of 
benevolence  that  made  him  respected  and  beloved. 

His  Avife,  Esther  Bronson,  was  a  comely,  clever, 
thrifty  woman,  who  served  as  a  balance-wheel  to  keep 
in  bounds  her  husband's  sometimes  ill-advised  gener- 
osity. She  was  kind  and  affectionate,  a  loving  wife 
and  loving  mother;  to  her  he  was  indebted  for  the 
many  comforts  of  his  home  and  for  much  of  his 
success. 

Their  pioneer  days  were  over,  their  early  home 
exchanged  for  one  in  East  Bloomfield.  Here  they  had 
settled,  and  though  not  exempt  from  the  necessities  of 


4  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

economy,  were,   in  farmer  phrase,    "fore-handed,"   or 
well-to-do. 

Bloomfield  suggests  its  counterpart  in  the  large  cul- 
tivated farms,  the  rich  fruitful  orchards,  broad  meadows 
and  fields  of  feathery,  waving  grain,  the  comfortable 
farm-houses — all  indicating  prosperity. 

In  the  distance  were  the  blue  Bristol  Hills;  those 
nearer  were  covered,  in  summer,  with  velvet  verdure,  in 
winter  with  glistening  drifts  of  snow.  The  grand  old 
elms  that  cast  their  cool  and  grateful  shadows  across 
the  highway,  the  school-house,  and  the  mill  with  its 
murmuring,  unceasing  accompaniment  of  dam  and 
stream,  completed  the  summer  scene  of  rural  loveliness. 

Their  house  on  the  main  stage-route  from  Rochester 
to  Oanandaigua,  was  known  for  miles  as  a  convenient 
resting-place;  even  stragglers  along  the  road  soon 
learned  where  to  ask  for  food  and  rest,  until  the  demand 
became  so  great,  that  a  wayfarer's  bed  was  suggested 
and  finally  located  in  a  remote  corner  of  the  house  and 
ever  after  called  "The  Beggar's  Bed." 

Not  alone  to  these  mere  tramps  did  their  hospitality 
extend.  It  was  a  delightful  place  for  visiting.  Clergy- 
men were  welcomed  and  here  made  a  pleasant  sojourn, 
friends  were  cordially  received  and  entertained,  and 
poor  relations  here  found  a  haven  for  their  woes. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  5 

Tlianksgiviiig  was  the  daj  for  family  reunion ;  fi*om 
the  aged  grandmother,  almost  ninety,  to  the  prattling 
child,  all  were  often  seated  ronnd  the  same  board,  where 
delicious  viands  were  served  to  tempt  their  appetites. 

On  one  of  these  occasions  a  little  fellow  of  four  or 
five,  a  frequent  and  favored  guest,  was  overlooked  when 
some  delicacy  was  '^  handed  rounds  Eeproachfully 
turning  to  his  aunt,  he  said,  "Whatever  that  was,  you 
did  not  pass  it  to  me."  Instantly  it  was  placed  before 
him.  But  with  quaint  humor,  he  said,  ''O!  never  mind, 
I  do  not  icanf  if!  only  I  like  to  have  folks  pass  me 
things  when  I'm  around." 

The  following  incident,  though  tri^dal  in  itself,  illus- 
trates one  phase  of  my  husband's  boyish  character:  His 
sister  (fourteen  years  older  than  himself)  he  almost 
idolized,  and  his  youthful  fancy  endowed  her  with  mar- 
velous beauty.  When  any  allusion  was  made  to  her  ap- 
proaching marriage,  though  she  was  to  live  only  across 
the  way,  his  grief  was  so  intense  that  he  would  wander 
off  alone,  lest  he  should  hear  their  discussion,  and 
would  ponder  over,  by  himself,  what  appeared  to  him 
the  direst  of  calamities. 

When  the  eventful,  but  to  him  distasteful,  day 
arrived,  the  wedding  breakfast  over  (it  was  not  called  a 
breakfast  then),  and  the  guests  departed,  the  bridal 
pair   began   preparations  for   their  short  trip.      With 


6  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

jealous  eyes  he  watched   them  reach    their    dwelling, 
then  his  plan  was  made. 

Early  the  next  morning  he  gathered  together  his 
few  belongings.  Some  of  these  possessions  he  crammed 
into  a  small  hair  trunk  that  he  had  made  for  himself; 
with  this  upon  his  shoulder,  two  hats  upon  his  head, 
and  an  extra  pair  of  shoes  dangling  by  his  side,  he 
marched  across  the  road,  and  announced  to  his  aston- 
ished sister  that  "he  had  come  to  live  with  herT 

His  comical  appearance  and  still  more  comical 
"announcement"  was  so  convulsing,  that  it  almost  pre- 
vented her,  at  first,  from  saying — "That  will  be  very 
nice.  I  have  a  little  room  upstairs  that  will  exactly 
suit  you."  The  families  winked  at  this  droll  pro- 
ceeding and  allowed  him  to  remain.  One  day,  however, 
hearing  his  mother's  voice,  he  thrust  his  head  inside 
the  door,  and  called  out — "Hello!  mother,  is  that 
you?" 

"Yes,  my  son;  and  how  do  you  think  I  feel  to  be 
left  alone?  Is  it  not  bad  enough  to  lose  my  only 
daughter  without  having  my  boy  go  off  and  leave  me 
too?" 

The  pathos  of  her  words  and  voice  brought  him  to 
her  side ;  still  with  hesitation  and  some  slight  patronage, 
he  said,    "It  is  pretty  bad,   and  I  will  go  home  with 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  7 

you  to  liye;  but,  mother — I  want  it  disiincilij  under - 
siood,  that  I  shall  come  here  once  a  day  to  eafP^- 

This  was  too  much  for  their  equanimity,  but  the 
compromise  was  made  and  the  boyish  threat  carried  out 
almost  literally  for  years. 

His  brothers  delighted  in  exciting  his  childish  ire, 
sometimes  to  test  his  youthful  logic.  He  was  tinkering 
at  some  vehicle  (he  manufactured  all  his  own),  when 
one  of  his  brothers  came  alonsf  and  carelessly  asked. 
"Why  don't  you  hitch  up  old  Buff  and  make  him 
pull?" 

"You  know  the  reason,  Lou,  as  well  as  I  do;  he  is 
foo  old:' 

The  superannuated  subject  of  their  debate  Avas 
dozing  in  the  sun.  Making  a  stride  towards  the 
unconscious  animal,  Lou  called  out,  "  I  am  going  to 
kill  this  dog!  for  he  is  old,  and  useless,  and  takes  up 
too  much  room." 

Instantly  the  boy  was  on  his  feet.  TTith  flashing 
eyes  and  quivering  voice  he  cried,  ••  If  you  are  going 
to  kill  everything  that's  old,  you  had  better  go  in  and 
kill  your  grcmdinofherl^' 

His  father  seldom  chastised  his  sons,  but  when 
he  did,  invariably  prayed  with  them  afterwards.  The 
doctor  always  said  it  was  hard  to  tell  which  he  dreaded 
most,  "the  thrashing  or  the  prayer." 


8  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

He  once  said  of  himself  that  his  youth  was  re- 
markable for  nothing  but  a  love  of  fun  and  mechanics. 

His  sister  mentions  an  act  of  their  father's  dis- 
cipline:— "My  brother,  when  a  lad  of  ten  or  twelve, 
was  in  the  habit  of  interchanging  visits  with  his 
cousins,  '  The  Gunn  boys.'  They  all  anticipated  the 
greatest  pleasure  in  these  visits.  One  evening  when 
the  boys  were  going  home,  Moses  gained  permission 
to  walk  part  of  the  Avay  back  with  them,  the  distance 
not  being  specified.  When  sufficient  time  had  elapsed, 
and  he  did  not  return,  my  mother  was  fearful  lest 
something  had  befallen  her  boy.  You  know  he  was 
her  Benjamin. 

"At  last  her  anxiety  became  so  great,  that  my  father 
decided  to  go  in  search  of  him.  When  he  arrived  at 
his  brother's,  he  found  the  'young  rascal,'  as  he  called 
him,  in  bed  with  his  cousins!  He  said  nothing,  but 
returned.  In  the  morning,  when  the  small  culprit 
appeared,  he  was  told  that  for  this  misdemeanor  he 
could  not  go  to  his  uncle's  for  one  year!  At  times 
this  seemed  a  greater  punishment  than  he  could  bear." 

Fifteen  years  after  this  memorable  little  episode, 
the  doctor  and  his  wife  were  taking  tea  with  these 
cousins  and  their  sisters,  when  she  fully  realized  what 
a  cruel  deprivation  his  boyish  palate  must  have  under- 
gone during  that  long  year! 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  9 

The  doctor's  mother  was  a  remarkable  woman,  and 
needs  more  than  a  passing  notice.  She  lived  to  the 
age  of  ninety-three,  with  all  her  faculties  unimpaired. 
She  survived  her  husband  many  years,  he  (dying  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven)  leaving  her  his  small  estate, 
which  by  her  providence  she  increased,  though  her 
gifts  were  many  and  munificent.  When  her  childi*en 
were  young,  after  attending  to  her  household  duties 
through  the  day,  she  would  sit  up  far  into  the  night, 
and  while  the  others  slept,  accomplish  the  greater  part 
of  her  sewing,  which  was  of  no  ordinary  kind.  Two 
weeks  before  her  death  (it  must  be  remembered  she 
was  then  ninety-three),  she  had  been  engaged  on  some 
fine  needle-work. 

After  giving  up  her  home  she  resided  with  her 
daughter  living  directly  opposite.  There  she  found  a 
melancholy  satisfaction  in  looking  over  at  the  house 
where,  through  the  lights  and  shadows,  the  hospitali- 
ties of  other  days  had  transpired.  One  night  she  saw 
this  old  home  burn  to  the  ground. 

She  spent  a  part  of  each  alternate  year  with  the 
doctor's  family,  and  as  a  labor  of  love  f  after  she  was 
eighty)  hemmed  and  '"whipped"  many  of  the  fine  linen 
cambric  rufiies  he  then  wore.  He  told  her  of  an 
excitable  French  patient  who  said  to  him  one  day — 


10  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"Docteur!  I  shall  tear  off  ze  frille,  some  time,  it  make 
me  so  exasperate!    I  nevare  get  zings  don  up  like  zat!" 

She  was  fond  of  makinof  written  extracts  from  her 
Bible.  Up  to  the  time  of  her  death,  her  letters  were 
written  in  a  clear,  neat  hand. 

Her  face,  slightly  severe,  was  intelligent,  and  often 
and  easily  lighted  up  with  a  peculiarly  humorous  smile. 
She  was  of  medium  height,  her  form  plump  and  erect, 
and  her  step  vigorous.  Her  clothes  fitted  her  perfectly, 
and  were  of  handsome  material.  She  was  particular  in 
her  personal  appearance  and  always  made  a  point  of 
dressing  for  dinner.  Among  other  graces  she  was 
wise,  never  allowing  her  son  to  imagine  she  saw  any 
shortcominofs  in  her  daucrhter-in-law.  She  was  amiable 
— in  fact  she  was  exceptional. 

This  little  tribute  is  due  from  one  who,  under  all 
circumstances,  received  her  warmest  affection. 

The  doctor,  averse  to  his  name  when  a  boy,  once 
asked  his  mother  why  she  called  him  "Moses." 

"Because,  my  son,*'  she  answered,  "it  was  the  name 
of  your  grandfather. — a  courteous,  amiable  old  gentle- 
man, whom  we  hoped  to  have  you  emulate." 

"That  is  a  good  reason,  but  I  could  just  as  well 
have  emulated  him — without  his  name." 

He  never  quite  forgave  her  this  infliction,  and 
never,   until  maturer  years,   signed  his  name  in  full. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  H 

When  writing  to  his  wife,  he  indnlged  in  a  nom  de 
plume. 

The  rudiments  of  Doctor  Gunn's  education  were 
begun  very  early,  so  early  that  he  was  allowed  a  pillow 
in  school.  He  was  twelve  years  old,  when  a  young 
theoloofical  student  became  a  member  of  his  father's 
family,  and  was  his  tutor  for  three  years.  Then  he 
entered  the  East  Bloomfield  Academy,  where  he  pur- 
sued his  studies  until  they  were  interrupted  by  a  serious 
illness  followed  by  prolonged  invalidism.  During  a  part 
of  this  time  he  rode  on  horseback  to  the  academy,  though 
a  painful  side  often  prevented  his  riding  faster  than  a 
walk.  A  constant  inclination  to  bend  over  either  when 
walking  or  riding,  he  fought  against,  and  a  supreme 
effort  of  his  will  alone  enabled  him  to  sit  upright  in  his 
saddle.  His  mother  watched  him  with  extreme  solici- 
tude for  two  years:  finally  a  change  of  climate  and  a 
sea  voyage  aided  in  his  recovery. 

When  on  his  way  to  New  York,  he  was  informed  by 
a  sympathetic  passenger  on  board  the  "Packet  Boat  " 
(which  was  then  the  popular  mode  of  travel  in  that 
section)  that  he  would  die  of  consumption,  in  less 
than  a  year. 

His  sister  says: — "After  the  first  winter  of  my 
brother's  illness  he  was  always  busy  binding  books  or 
engaged    in    some    mechanical    employment.       It   was 


12  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

during  this  time  lie  traced  the  ancestral  line  in  both 
his  grandfathers'  families. " 

A  few  months  after  his  return  from  the  South,  he 
entered  Dr.  Carr's  office  in  Canandaigua,  as  a  student  of 
medicine.  He  soon  became  a  favorite  with  Dr.  Carr; 
close  attention  to  his  duties  won  the  doctor's  regard, 
and  he  often  drove  with  him  on  his  professional  rounds. 
His  preceptor  wore  a  large,  blue  camlet  cloak,  then  much 
in  vogue.  One  morning  as  they  were  starting  out  on 
their  expedition  a  corner  of  the  cloak  blew  over  the 
young  student's  arm.  Turning  to  Dr.  Carr,  he  said: — 
"  How  proud  I  should  be  if  your  mantle  could  fall  upon 
my  shoulder."  Looking  at  him  earnestly,  his  preceptor 
replied,  "'  My  boy,  you  will  wear  a  greater  mantle  than 
miney 


CHAPTEE   SECOND. 

A  N  old-time  fiiend.   J.  S.  E .  writing  about  his 

^  ^     early  acquaintance  ^dtli  my  husband,   refers   to 
his  student-life  at  that  period: — 

"  I  often  met  Moses  Gunn  when  he  was  studying 
medicine,  and  a  member  of  Dr.  Carr's  family.  I  inva- 
riably noticed  him  intent  upon  his  work:  this  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  me.  After  he  had  been  study- 
ing a  year.  Dr.  Carr  would  frequently  take  him  when 
he  had  a  difficult  case,  and  always  when  he  had  an 
operation.  Few  physicians  outside  the  cities  had  a 
reputation  equal  to  his.  for  skillful  and  successful 
operations.  He  did  nearly  all  the  surgery  within  a 
radius  of  many  miles;  it  was  beneficial  for  your  hus- 
band to  be  associated  with  such  a  man.  Yet  I  recall 
a  time  when,  speaking  of  a  certain  operation  at  which 
he  assisted,  he  said  'If  I  ever  have  a  case  like  that  I 
shall  manage  it  differently.'  The  treatment  which  he 
had  in  mind  was  radically  different  from  that  of  his 
preceptor.  Thus,  while  he  studied,  he  thought  for 
himself.      Years    after,    when   recalling    old   times,    it 

13 


14     '  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

occurred  to  me  to  ask  liim  i£  he  had  ever  had  such  a 
case.  I  remember  the  satisfaction  with  which  he 
replied  'Yes,  several,  and  was  successful  according  to 
those  early  convictions. ' 

"It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  speak  of  the  doctor's 
splendid  achievements;  those  you  already  know.  My 
only  object  in  writing  this  brief  retrospect,  is  to  make 
you  better  acquainted  with  the  kind  of  man  he  was, 
before  you  knew  him." 

These  are  the  recollections  and  impressions  of  one 
who  knew  Doctor  Gunn  in  boyhood,  as  well  as  in  later 
years : — 

"When  I  first  entered  the  family,  the  doctor  was  a 
boy  of  eleven.  From  that  time  forth,  he  had  the  same 
lovable  nature  which  characterized  his  life;  ever  ready 
to  contribute  to  the  pleasure  of  others,  or  to  the  relief 
of  their  pain. 

"Especially  was  he  endeared  to  me  during  the  last 
illness  and  at  the  bedside  of  my  dying  husband. 
A   student   of  medicine,  he    left  his  books,  to  devote 
himself  night  and  day  to  the  almost  entire  care  of  him. 

"  I  can  never  forget  the  stay  and  comfort  he  was  to 
me  while  passing  through  this,  my  first  great  afiliction. 
No    matter   how   often    I    disturbed   his    snatches    of 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  15 

sleep  by  day  or  night,  lie  awoke  to  my  relief  with 
unabated  tenderness.        ...... 

"  His  purity  of  character  and  unselfishness  were  so 
transparent,  that  I  watched  his  development  with  in- 
terest and  affection,  and  I  belieye  there  are  few  whose 
lives,  from  childhood  onward,  are  kept  so  free  from 
stain  or  blemish. 

"I  am  very  glad  I  was  permitted  to  meet  the  doc- 
tor so  recently,  by  which  the  sacred  memories  of  the 
long:  aoro  were  revived." 

Professor  C.  L.  Ford  writes  of  his  early  and  later 
associations  with  Doctor  Gunn: — 

"I  was  a  student  of  Dr.  Edson  Carr,  of  Canan- 
daigua,  N.  Y.,  and  after  being  graduated  at  Geneva 
College,  was  appointed  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy, 
which  office  I  held  for  several  years. 

"On  my  way  to  and  from  Geneva,  I  occasionally 
spent  a  few  hours  in  Canandaigua,  and  there  I  first  met 
your  husband,  who  was  then  a  student  of  Dr.  Carr,  as 
I  had  been  before.  By  these  occasional  interviews,  I 
became  aware  of  his  earnestness  in  whatever  he  under- 
took, and  especially  of  his  enthusiastic  devotion  to  the 
study  of  anatomy. 

"In  October,  1844,  he  became  a  member  of  the 
medical  class,  and  was  at  once  recognized  as  a  man  of 


16  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

more  than  ordinary  promise.  The  session  passed  as  do 
most  college  sessions,  without  any  specially  exciting  or 
noteworthy  incidents,  and  he  was  again  energetically  at 
work  as  before  in  Dr.  Carr's  office.  At  the  opening  of 
the  session  of  1845-6,  Dr.  Gunn  returned  and  resumed 
work  as  usual.  During  this  session  my  health  was  by 
no  means  good,  as  I  had  not  fully  recovered  from  a 
severe  pneumonia,  and  my  friend  had  already  obtained 
such  a  knowledge  of  anatomy  and  had  shown  so  much 
skill  in  dissecting,  and  imparting  knowledge,  that  he 
became  to  me  a  valuable  assistant  and  I  often  assigned 
to  him  duties  that  belonged  to  me.  In  all  these,  he 
evinced  so  much  aptness  and  skill  in  instructing  others, 
that  it  foreshadowed  his  appropriate  field  of  labor  as  a 
future  instructor  as  well  as  operator. 

"During  the  college  session,  while  mutually  engaged 
in  instructing  others,  we  sometimes,  as  was  very  natu- 
ral, talked  of  the  future,  and  built  air-castles,  as  young 
men  occasionally  will  do,  and  even  went  so  far  as  to 
hope  that  in  the  not  distant  future  we  might  be  asso- 
ciated in  some  medical  college,  where  he  should  be 
professor  of  surgery,  and  I  should  teach  anatomy. 

"At  the  close  of  the  session,  the  College  received 
fi'om  a  prison  of  the  State  an  unclaimed  body,  which 
was  to  be  devoted  to  scientific  uses;  and  as  we  had  no 
means  of  preserving  it,  and  no  occasion  to  use  it  after 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  1< 

the  college  was  closed.  Dr.  Giinn  was  allowed  to  em- 
ploy it  for  purposes  of  instruction. 

"As  an  illustration  of  liis  enterprise,  he  received 
his  diploma  on  Tuesday,  left  his  home  on  the  Monday 
following  the  day  of  his  graduation,  and  started  for 
Michigan;  and  in  two  weeks  fi'om  the  day  he  left,  he 
had  made  arrangements,  and  commenced  a  course  of 
lectures  on  anatomy  in  Ann  Arbor,  for  which  his  pre- 
vious earnest  devotion  to  dissection  had  made  admir- 
able preparation;  and  the  thorough  study  he  had  given 
the  subject  ever  after  inspired  the  confidence  and  >^elf- 
reliance,  based  on  accurate  knowledge,  with  which  he 
undertook  formidable  operations. 

••Here  he  began  his  professional  life  and  surgical 
career.  His  facility  in  lecturing,  and  his  manifest 
acquaintance  with  the  subject  he  had  undertaken  to 
teach,  attracted  attention  and  marked  him  as  no  ordi- 
nary man;  and  on  succeeding  seasons  he  repeated  lec- 
tures on  anatomy,  accompanied  by  dissections  and 
demonstrations. — the  first  ever  criyen  in  Ann  Arbor,  if 
not  in  Michigan.  .  .  .  .        , 

•'In  the  fall  of  1850  Dr.  Gunn  was  duly  appointed 
Professor  of  Anatomy  and  Surgery  in  the  Medical  Col- 
lege. In  1S5J:  it  was  deemed  desirable  that  he  should 
no  longer  be  required  to  teach  anatomy  in  connection 
with  surgery,  and  in  June  of  that  year  I  was  appointed 


18  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

Professor  of  Anatomy,  and  our  youthful  aspiration  was 
realized,  wherein  one  taught  anatomy  and  the  other 
surgery,  from  that  time  till  he  resigned  and  went  to 
Chicago;  making  us  co-laborers  for  thirteen  years  of 
harmonious  co-operation  and  friendly  rivalry,  as  teach- 
ers of  our  respective  branches  of  medical  education. 

"The  doctor  and  I  roomed  together  in  Geneva, 
where  began  a  friendship  of  forty  years.  He  was 
always  most  earnest  in  whatever  he  undertook;  no  half- 
way work  ever  satisfied  him.  He  acted  upon  the  prin- 
ciple of  doing  well  whatever  was  worth  commencing, 
and  he  evinced  the  same  energy  and  enthusiasm  as  a 
student,  that  characterized  all  his  subsequent  career  in 
active  professional  life.  He  was  always  remarkably 
self-reliant  and  self-respecting,  never  doing  anything 
unworthy  the  man  or  the  occasion,  always  commanding 
the  confidence  of  the  public  and  of  professional  asso- 
ciates. ........ 

"For  four  years  he  taught  anatomy  and  surgery 
with  a  success  that  placed  him  at  once  in  the  front 
rank  of  teachers.  I  may  say  of  him  he  had  a  'teaching 
diathesis'.  He  grasped  truth  clearly,  believed  it  firmly, 
and  stated  it  impressively;  so  that,  as  has  been  said, 
'with  him  truth  had  horns,  to  lay  hold  of  and  to  hold  on 
to.  One  is  sure  that  he  knows  it,  and  is  convinced  that 
he  believes  it.' 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  19 

"Doctor  Gunn  removed  to  Detroit  tliat  he  might 
have  a  larger  field  for  surgical  practice,  and  thus  do 
greater  service  to  the  institution  and  give  to  students 
the  benefits  of  a  wider  experience. 

"Of  those  who  have  aided  to  make  the  College  what 
it  has  been  and  what  it  still  remains,  who  have  finished 
their  course,  Moses  Gunn  I  may  almost  call  the  pioneer 
in  all  this  enterprise. 

"His  honorable  and  useful  life-work  was  finished 
at  the  age  of  sixty-five,  after  almost  forty-two  years  of 
service  in  his  profession."  .... 


CHAPTEE  THIRD. 

QOOX  after  entering  upon  his  medical  studies  in  Can- 
^  andaigna,  Moses  Gunn  met  a  young  girl  whose 
home  was  in  that  Western  town  where  subsequently  he 
commenced  his  professional  and  matrimonial  careers. 

She  was  at  Mrs.  R 's  school  in  her  native  state  and 

was  spending  her  fii'st  vacation  with  relatives.  She 
says  in  reference  to  this  time: — 

"Though  these  memories  are  unimportant,  they  have 
a  bearing  on  this  little  history,  and  bring  to  mind  the 
old  residence,  the  trees,  the  well  into  whose  glistening 
depths  we  peered  and  tried  to  penetrate:  the  bee-hives 
we  shunned  for  the  garden  and  orchard  less  dangerous ; 
the  in-door  and  out-door  pastimes;  the  drives  about  the 
country,  and  horseback-riding,  which  filled  up  the 
measui'e  of  our  joys. 

"It  was  a  pleasant,  hospitable  country  home;  the 
house  was  large;  some  rooms  had  corner  cupboards 
filled  with  quaint  old  china  and  queer  souvenir's  be- 
queathed by  an  '  Ancient  Mariner,'  a  relative  on  the 
father's  side.     A  venerable  clock  ticked  slowly  in  the 

20 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  21 

hall;  a  corner  fire-place  disclosed  curious  andirons  sup- 
porting grotesque  heads  that  in  the  flickering  flames 
appeared  to  nod,  and  smile,  and  silently  gossip  with 
each  other.  These  unique  andirons  and  some  other 
odd  old  articles  would  delight  a  modern  antiquarian. 

"  Invitations  for  a  party  had  been  sent  for  twenty 
miles  around.  East  Bloomfield  was  within  the  limits. 
Moses  Gunn  and  a  favorite  cousin  of  his  own  age  had 
just  received  and  were  opening  their  invitations,  when 

C exclaimed,   '  What  luck!      I  have  been  on  the 

qui  vive  for  weeks  to  see  that  cousin  of  the  T s,  and 

now  it  is  impossible  to  go.  But,  Moses,  you  can  find 
out  if  she  amounts  to  anything.' 

"A  drive  of  eighteen  miles  brought  'Moses'  to 
the  spot  where  he  expected  to  encounter  a  full-fledged 
young  woman,  instead  of  which  he  found  a  diminutive 
specimen  of  girlhood  in  short  dresses!  Astonished, 
but  determined  to  fulfil  his  mission,  he  approached  and 
with  mock  gallantry,  offering  his  arm,  said,  '  Let  us  go 
out  on  the  porch.'  The  night  was  glorious!  the  moon 
was  full,  and  the  maiden  not  too  young  to  take  note  of 
his  personality.  He  had  brown,  waving  hair,  a  blonde 
goatee;  was  pale,  near-sighted,  and  wore  eye-glasses. 
His  tall,  slim  figure  was  rather  noticeable,  and  he  talked 
well.  Some  guests  from  a  distance  remained  all  night, 
he  among  them.     In  the  morning  he  said  'good  bye,' 


22  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

and  his  youthful  listener  of  the  previous  evening 
thought  of  him  no  more. 

"The  Sunday  following  he  spent  at  home.     C 

came  over  and  began  his  catechism.     M replied, 

'Our  friends  romanced  about  their  cousin  simply  to 
arouse  your  curiosity.  She  is  only  a  school-girl,  and  a 
small  one  at  that,  but  I  carried  out  your  enterprise,  and 
afterward  she  sang  a  song;  then  before  the  evening 
was  half  over,  she  went  to  hed!  I  thought  of  her  once 
or  twice  (after  the  song),  but  in  the  morning  she  re- 
minded me  of  the  L s  we  neither  of  us  lost  our 

heads  about.' 

"The  critical  young  man  little  dreamed  that  the 
small  individual  he  then  discussed  would  six  years  later 
hecome  his  wifeP^ 


CHAPTER  FOURTH. 

T^IVE  years!  What  sorrow  can  be  crowded  into  five 
^  years ;  and  sometimes,  what  joys !  It  was  five  years 
since  the  student  had  looked  down  upon  his  small  com- 
panion and  criticised  her.  Since  then  he  had  been 
graduated  with  honor  and  some  distinction,  and  had 
(with  those  memorable  trunks,  which  are  hereafter 
mentioned)  emigrated  westward. 

In  the  following  personal  reminiscences  written  by 
Doctor  Gunn  forty  years  later  for  "The  Chronicle,"  in 
1886  (the  year  before  he  died),  he  alludes  to  this 
joui'ney  and  describes  the  university  town  as  it  then 
appeared : — 

"It  was  on  one  of  the  bright  and  beautiful  days 
with  which  we  were  favored  in  the  early  part  of  Febru- 
ary, that  the  writer,  in  sentimental  indulgence,  found 
himself  once  more  in  the  beautiful  arbor-city  of  Wash- 
tenaw. What  memories  are  awakened  by  those  two 
names — Ann  Arbor  and  Washtenaw!  Just  forty  years 
before,  I  had  looked  for  the  first  time  upon  the  fair 

23 


24  MEMORIAL    SKETCHES. 

scene  wliicli  once  again  greeted  my  vision.  How 
changed!  and  yet  tlie  same!  Boyliood  and  ripening 
years  show  the  same  changes  and  resemblances.  At 
that  time  many  of  the  primitive  trees  of  the  aboriginal 
oak-openings  which  captivated  the  first  settlers  and 
induced  them  to  locate  on  this  spot  their  romantic  town, 
still  remained  to  justify  the  strikingly  original  name 
which  they  bestowed  upon  it.  A  pretty  bit  of  history 
is  that  which  originated  the  town  name,  and  which  is 
all  familiar  to  Ann  Arborans. 

"A  bleak,  uncomfortable  and  fatiguing  winter  jour- 
ney throuofh  Canada  by  stao^e- coach — there  beinof  no 
railroad  communication  between  Buffalo  and  Detroit — 
a  three  hours'  trip  in  a  very  primitive  car  by  rail,  or, 
rather,  pieces  of  old  strap-rail,  fi'om  Detroit,  landed  me 
in  Ann  Arbor  on  a  day,  the  mildness  and  sunny-smoki- 
ness  of  which  suggested  Indian  summer  rather  than 
February.  From  Ypsilanti,  where  the  railroad  strikes 
the  valley  of  the  Huron,  we  had  crept  along  under  the 
bluffs,  following  closely  the  windings  of  the  river,  the 
engineers  of  the  road  having  avoided  the  building  of 
bridges,  by  increasing  the  distance  to  be  traveled  over, 
on  rails  that  would  have  been  dangerous  had  the  speed 
been  greater.  '  Ann  Ar-r-bor ! '  called  the  conductor  as 
faithfully  and  impressively  as  duty  required;  though 
the  indefinite  rests  which  were  indulged  in  at  stations 


MEMOEIAL   SKETCHES.  25 

would  enable  a  reporter  of  the  present  day  to  gather  or 
invent  facts  enongh  for  a  gazetteer  item.  Mj  objectiye 
point  was  readied;  and  seated  in  an  open  'bus'  the  hotel 
was  sought.  At  the  top  of  the  hill  which  we  rise  fi'om 
the  station  niv  attention  was  arrested  by  a  huo^e  boulder 
that  reposed  just  at  the  fork  of  the  road,  and  which  now 
ornaments  the  college  campus  and  perpetuates  the 
enterprise  of  one  of  the  university  classes.  This 
thought-suggestiye  boulder,  which  has  thus  become  a 
part  of  the  res  c/esice  of  the  campus  and  student  life, 
has  other  associations  in  the  memory  of  the  writer, 
which  ante-date  by  many  years  the  commencement  of 
its  classic  association,  but  which  are  too  personal  to  be 
more  than  alluded  to  in  this  connection. 

•'The  hotel  which  opened  to  me  its  hospitable  doors 
was  the  'Ann  Arbor  Exchange,'  situated  on  the  south- 
west corner  of  Main  and  Ann  streets,  an  institution  of 
very  indifferent  merits,  but  with  a  rather  showy  bar  in 
the  general  office  or  reception  room,  at  which  within  a 
day  or  two  of  my  arrival,  I  saw  a  gentleman  of  the  bar 
legal  from  Jackson  indulging  with  some  of  his  confreres 
in  an  extremely  social  glass  of  something  that  passed 
cui'rent  for  French  brandy.  Now,  this  circumstance  is 
worthy  of  note  only  from  the  fact  that  the  last  time  I 
had  seen  our  hero,  he  was  delivering  a  most  eloquent 
temperance   lecture   down  in  the   Empire  State,   from 


26  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

which  lie  had  emigrated,  bringing  up  in  the  Wolverine 
State,  and  now,  to  my  surprised  vision,  before  another 
bar  than  that  for  which  he  had  been  educated.  It  was 
one  of  many  observations  which  served  to  put  me 
appreciatively  abreast  the  novel  phases  of  Western  life ; 
for  Michigan  was  then  a  Western  State,  and  her  uni- 
versity town  was  not  an  intensely  temperance  one. 

"The  city — for  I  believe  it  had  a  city  organization 
— consisted,  then  as  now,  of  the  upper  and  lower  town. 
The  business  portion  of  the  upper  town  lay"  principally 
on  the  south  and  west  sides  of  the  Court  House 
Square,  while  the  residences  were  scattered  somewhat 
promiscuously  on  the  northwestern  slope  of  the  emi- 
nence which  is  crowned  by  the  University.  Between 
the  university  grounds  and  the  first  of  the  residences 
quite  an  unoccupied  space  intervened,  while  to  the 
north,  east  and  south  of  the  campus  the  eye  rested 
only  on  fields  or  common. 

"On  the  forty  acres  of  the  university  campus 
which,  at  present,  emulates  the  old  town  in  arbor- 
escence,  there  was  scarcely  a  tree.  The  north  wing  of 
the  present  western  fagade  was  built,  and  was  devoted 
to  recitation  rooms,  dormitories,  and  a  single  room  each 
to  library  and  museum,  w^hile  in  the  attic  were  stored 
numerous  boxes  of  cured  skins  which  have  since  been 
mounted  and  which,  probably,  are  now  to  be  found  in 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  27 

the  museum.  The  four  residences  for  the  use  of  the 
Professors'  families  were  also  built,  and  were  occupied 
respectively  by  Professors  Williams,  Ten  Brook,  Whee- 
don,  and  Agnew.  These  four  university  magnates, 
equal  in  authority,  constituted  the  executive  head  of 
the  university.  In  teaching  they  were  assisted  by 
Tutor  Smith  and  Dr.  Douglas;  the  latter  acting  as 
instructor  in  chemistry.  Dr.  Houghton,  late  professor 
of  that  branch  of  science,  having  lost  his  life  the 
previous  autumn  while  prosecuting  geological  and  min- 
eralogical  surveys  at  Lake  Superior.  There  is  now  in 
the  museum,  probably,  a  specimen  of  native  copper 
bearing  the  marks  of  his  chisel  which  Professor 
Houghton  laboriously  cut  from  the,  at  that  time  cele- 
brated, copper  mass  which  Avas  removed,  by  the  United 
States  authorities,  to  Washington  in  1844  or  1845. 
This  valuable  specimen  cost  the  efforts  of  four  succes- 
sive seasons  to  secure,  the  professor  having  used  up 
his  available  chisels  for  three  seasons  without  success. 
Dr.  Sager,  then  a  resident  of  Jackson,  was  Professor  of 
Zoology,  but  was  not  on  duty.  Death  had  already 
invaded  the  professorial  ranks,  and  a  broken  shaft  near 
the  present  location  of  the  Chemical  Laboratory  com- 
memorated the  virtues  of  Professor  Whiting. 

"I   have  alluded  to  Dr.   Douglas  as  instructor  in 
chemistry.       After   he   became    Professor  Douglas  he 


28  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

began  to  develop  his  department  and  finally  organized 
and  for  many  years  administered  the  affairs  of  a  model 
practical  chemical  laboratory.  In  fact,  he  was  a 
pioneer  in  this  kind  of  work.  I  therefore  hesitate  not 
to  speak  of  his  day  of  small  things.  Shortly  after  my 
arrival  in  Ann  Arbor  he  invited  me  to  be  present  at 
one  of  his  lectures  before  the  senior  class.  A  room 
not  exceeding  sixteen  by  twenty  feet  served  him  for 
both  laboratory  and  auditorium.  His  illustrative  ap- 
pliances were  remarkable  for  what  they  lacked — 
nothing  more.  In  no  department  is  the  contrast  be- 
tween 1846  and  1886  more  marked  than  in  that  of 
chemistry. 

"The  Begents  of  the  University  were,  at  that  time, 
appointed  by  the  Governor  with  the  confirmative  action 
of  the  Senate.  In  their  selection,  party  affiliations 
were  wisely  ignored.  The  Governor,  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, the  Chancellor  and  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  were  ex-officio  members  of  the  Board  of  Regents, 
the  Governor  being  the  presiding  officer.  Already  had 
Governors  Mason,  Woodbridge,  Gordon,  Barry,  and 
Felch,  the  last  of  whom  is  yet  a  venerated  resident  of 
Ann  Arbor,  filled  the  chair,  while  the  names  and  wis- 
dom of  Farnsworth  and  Manning  had  ornamented  and 
benefited  the  E-egent  list.  Surely  the  university  had 
been  fortunate  in  the  character  of  its  early  conservators. 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  29 

"But  neither  the  wisdom  of  the  Regents,  the  zeal 
and  fidelity  of  the  Faculty,  nor  the  sacredness  of  the 
cause,  had  saved  the  infant  university  from  malicious 
enmity.  Emanating  from  this  source  were  estimates 
showing  how  much  it  had  cost  to  educate  each  of  the 
ten  graduates.  The  first  class  of  ten  had  been  gradu- 
ated the  autumn  previously  (1845),  and  afforded  a 
basis  for  calculation  sufficiently  plausible  for  the  use  of 
jealousy  and  blind  opposition.  Such  opposition  was, 
of  course,  unreasoning  and  unreasonable,  and  although 
the  authors  have  ceased  to  be  remembered,  their  efforts 
were  not  Avithout  influence  at  the  time. 

"The  aspect  of  the  town,  as  contemplated  from  the 
present  time  and  status,  seems  a  little  grotesque.  The 
infant  university,  which  now  in  its  vigorous  adoles- 
cence almost  constitutes  and  sustains  the  city,  was,  even 
then,  a  prominent  feature  in  the  equally  infantile  town, 
and  gave  to  it  the  appearance,  so  to  speak,  of  a  college 
town  in  short  dresses.  The  students  were,  many  of 
them,  poor,  but  nearly  all  strove  to  don  the  Oxford  cap 
and  sustain  college  characteristics  and  dignity  before 
the  village  maidens.  Thus  early  the  'college  widow' 
was  recognized;  one  class  had  flourished  and  vanished 
fi'om  town.  As  spring  ripened  into  summer  the  young 
collegian  would  sally  forth  from  his  dormitory  in  the 
college  building   and   wend  his   way  to  his   morning 


30  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

repast  under  the  segis  of  the  square  cap;  and,  occasion- 
ally, for  comfort  or  economy's  sake,  or  for  both  consid- 
erations, he  would  appear  clad  in  a  calico  morning 
gown,  in  which  bright  colors  and  conspicuous  figures 
reigned  predominant.  Still  the  girls  admired  and 
courted  the  widow's  weeds. 

'^Apropos  is  an  anecdote,  une  vraie,  in  which  ^~ 
ui'e  the  collegian,  the  possible  college-widow,  and  her 
young  brotlier.  The  student  was  a  member  of  the  first 
class,  who  subsequently  attained  high  official  dignity  in 
a  territory  which  has  since  become  an  important  state. 
He  was  of  eminent  social  position,  bright  in  intellect, 
pleasing  in  manners,  but  diminutive  in  stature.  Start- 
ing out,  on  one  occasion,  to  make  some  formal  social 
calls  he  donned  a  dress  hat.  Approaching  the  portals 
of  a  certain  residence,  he  was  discovered  by  V  enfant 
ierrlhle,  who,  standing  at  the  open  window,  called  back 

to  his  sister :   '  O,  sister !  here  comes  Tom  C 

with  a  snail's  hat  on!'  Imagination  can  picture  the 
vigorous  hustling  off  of  young  America  and  the  recep- 
tion of  her  visitor  by  the  blushing  maiden. 

"Junior  exhibition  was  the  chief  spring  event:  the 
junior  hop  was  not  then  an  institution,  though  hopping 
was  a  familiar  and  popular  step  with  the  collegian. 

"The  second  annual  'commencement,'  occurring  in 
August,  1846,  took  place  in,  or  rather  under,  a  huge 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  31 

tent,  -which  was  pitched  on  the  campus  just  west  of  the 
present  central  or  chapel  building.  The  exercises  were 
of  the  stereotype  pattern,  and  for  the  town,  made  it  a 
gala  day.  The  burlesque  programme  failed  not  in  its 
appearance,  nor  in  its  cheapness  of  strained  wit  and 
pun;  nor  did  professorial  dignity  fail  in  its  perceptible 
annoyance  thereat. 

■  "At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Eegents 
which  occurred  at  this  time  Dr.  Douglas  was  made 
Professor  of  Chemistry.  It  was  at  this  meeting,  also, 
that  the  first  steps  were  taken  calling  into  existence 
the  medical  department.  A  memorial  asking  for  its 
establishment  was  presented  and  referred  to  a  special 
committee  which  reported  in  favor  of  the  project  a  year 
or  eighteen  months  subsequently — I  think  in  January, 
1848.  The  report  was  adopted,  and  the  two  medical 
men,  Drs.  Sager  and  Douglas,  who  already  held  pro- 
fessorships in  the  university,  were  made  professors  in 
the  new  department;  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to 
select  additional  professors. 

"The  Board  had  been  contemplating  for  some  time 
the  erection  of  a  chemical  laboratory,  and  now  deter- 
mined to  enlarge  the  contemplated  building  in  order  to 
accommodate  the  medical  school.  The  outcome  of  this 
determination  is  to  be  still  seen  in  the  Grecian-temple 
portion  of   the  present   medical  building.       Professor 


32 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 


Doiiglas  was  the  architect  and  superintendent  of  con- 
struction; and  whatever  may  be  thought  of  its  archi- 
tecture, or  of  the  general  architecture  of  the  University, 
it  is  quite  certain  that  it  made  a  convenient  home  for 
the  new  school  for  a  number  of  years. 

"In  July,  1849,  the  committee  to  nominate  ad- 
ditional professors,  named,  and  the  Board  appointed 
the  writer  of  this  paper  Professor  of  Anatomy.  Six 
months  later,  viz:  in  January,  1850,  Professor  J. 
Adams  Allen,  M.D.,  who  had  for  two  years  held  a  chair 
in  the  La  Porte  Medical  College,  and  who  is  now  Presi- 
dent of  Piush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  and  Samuel 
Denton,  M.D.,  a  former  Pvegent  and  State  Senator,  were 
made  professors,  respectively,  of  Materia  Medica  and 
Physiology,  and  of  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine. 
At  the  same  time  the  subject  of  Surgery  was  added  to 
the  chair  held  by  the  writer.  The  medical  faculty  was 
thus  organized  with  five  professors. 

"The  primary  announcement  of  a  course  of  instruc- 
tion in  the  new  school  was  issued  in  May,  fixing  the 
time  for  the  opening  of  the  course  on  the  first  of 
October,  1850.  Thus  was  inaugurated  a  new  medical 
college,  with  new  and  comparatively  unknown  men  for 
a  faculty,  three  of  whom  were  yet,  in  medical  parlance, 
boys,  and  none  of  whom  could  show  a  gray  hair.  To 
supply  this  deficient  sign   of  erudition  Zina  Pitcher, 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  33 

M.D.,  of  Detroit,  a  Eegent  of  the  University  and  an 
ex-officer  of  the  U.  S.  A.,  was  made  an  Emeritus 
Professor. 

"The  first  medical  class  numbered  ninety-two  stu- 
dents,— a  number,  I  think,  quite  unprecedented,  at  that 
time,  for  the  first  class,  in  the  history  of  medical  col- 
leges. The  size  of  this  class  exerted  an  amusing  influ- 
ence, for  one  year  at  least,  on  the  practice  of  hazing. 
A  mild  form  of  hazing  had  been  in  vogue  which  con- 
sisted of  the  initiation  of  the  freshmen  by  the  sopho- 
mores into  the  'Bumptonian  Society.'  The  department 
of  Arts  and  Science  had  opened  early  in  September. 
The  sophomore  class  had  lost  in  numbers  while  the 
freshmen  were  unusually  numerous.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances, the  Sophs,  hesitated  in  opening  the  cam- 
paign. Finally,  deeming  'discretion  the  better  part  of 
valor,'  they  effected  a  compromise,  whereby  the  Fresh, 
were  to  enjoy  immunity  on  condition  that  they  would 
join  the  Sophs,  in  the  initiation  of  the  expected  Medics. 
Exultingly  the  confederated  Lits.  awaited  the  advent  of 
the  poor  Medics.  But  when  on  their  arrival  it  was 
discovered  that  thev  outnumbered  all  four  classes  on 
the  other  side  of  the  campus,  and  that  among  their 
number  were  many  stalwart  and  matured  men,  more 
remarkable  for  physical  development  than  for  refine- 
ment of  face   and  manners,   consternation   seized  the 

8 


34  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

confederates,  and  there  ensued  a  status,  described  in 
later  times  as  'all  quiet  on  the  Potomac'  All  was  quiet 
on  the  campus.  The  'Bumptonian  Society'  ceased  to 
exist  and  was  heard  of  no  more. 

"The  medical  readers  of  'The  Chronicle'  will,  I  feel 
sui*e,  be  interested  in,  and  others  will  pardon  a  few 
additional  obserrations  upon  this  department.  Its  open- 
ing session  had  closed  upon  a  remarkable  success;  the 
faculty  were  egotistic  enough  to  regard  it  as  even  brill- 
iant, and  fi'om  that  egotism  sprang  an  ambition  to 
gain  for  the  college  a  position  in  the  foremost  rank. 
The  eminent  men  who  were  subsequently  added  to  the 
faculty  brought  to  their  work  the  same  ambition  and 
energy  backed  by  recognized  ability.  The  writer  looks 
back  with  the  greatest  pride  and  pleasure  upon  the 
seventeen  years  during  which  he  labored  in  the  Uniyer- 
sity,  and  experiences  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that 
the  ambition  of  the  faculty  had  been  realized  before  he 
severed  his  connection  with  his  colleagues  and  the 
University.  The  last  course  of  lectures  which  he  gave 
in  Ann  Arbor  was  to  the  largest  class  assembled,  that 
year,  in  the  United  States,  viz:  five  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-five students. 

"Though  nineteen  years  have  passed  since  the  ties 
were  severed  which  bound  him  to  the  university  of 
Michigan,  his  affection  for  the  institution  and  his  old 


MEMORIA.L   SKETCHES.  35 

colleagues  remains  ever  green.  Even  to  the  body  of 
professors  and  instructors  who  have,  since  that  time, 
become  attached  to  the  uniyersitj,  he  feels  in  a 
measure  related." 


CHAPTER  FIFTH. 

TAOCTOR  GUNN,  learning  that  a  university  was  es- 
^-^  tablished  at  Ann  Arbor,  knew  that  ultimately  the 
departments  of  Medicine  and  Law  would  be  inaugurated. 
He  came,  as  he  and  others  have  mentioned,  and  was  in- 
strumental in  organizing  that  department  where,  later, 
as  Dr.  Ford  says,  "  Their  youthful  aspirations  were 
realized,  wherein  one  taught  anatomy  and  the  other 
surgery." 

Almost  immediately  upon  the  doctor's  advent  to 
this  "infantile  town"  he  met  the  girl  who  had  been  the 
subject  of  his  five-years-before  adverse  criticism.  A 
month  later  he  gave  her  a  problem  which  required  more 
ihan  a  year  for  her  to  solve.  During  this  time  of 
probation  his  practice  increased,  his  knowledge  of  the 
German  language  brought  him  a  German  patronage, 
his  manhood's  struggle  had  commenced,  and  some  of 
his  ambitions  were  beginning  to  be  realized. 

The  young  physician  named  his  first  horse  "  Satan," 
for  iniquities  that  came  to  light  after  he  had  bought 

36 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  37 

him.  He  needed  a  strong  horse;  this  one  looked  not 
only  strong,  but  reliable,  and  his  purchaser  made  no 
inquiry  into  his  character.  The  beast's  trangressions 
were  chiefly  committed  in  the  stable,  except  on  rare 
occasions  when  he  would  go  through  his  programme  in 
the  harness. 

I  had  just  returned  from  an  absence  of  five  months, 
when  on  a  cold,  crisp,  sunny  day,  the  young  doctor 
asked  me  to  drive  with  him.  He  wore  a  light  drab 
overcoat,  becoming  because  it  made  him  look  stouter. 
I  never  afterwards  refused  to  go  anyiuhere  with  him 
when  he  wore  that  coat!  "Satan,"  with  the  subtlety  of 
his  namesake,  divined  this  to  be  a  "  rare  occasion." 
With  a  vicious  shake  of  his  head  he  started  on  a  keen 
jump,  and  never  stopped  till  he  reached  the  brow  of  a 
high  hill,  some  two  miles  distant  from  the  town.  Here 
he  paused — just  long  enough  to  tower  on  his  hind  legs 
(I  thought  he  would  sit  upon  us) ;  but  gathering  him- 
self, he  plunged  down  what  seemed  to  me  a  precipice, 
and  when  fairly  at  the  bottom,  with  dextrous  agility 
shivered  the  dash-board  into  a  hundred  splinters !  At 
this  climax  the  young  Esculapius  looked  for  me — I  had 
slipped  out  behind!  Shortly  after  this  exciting  drive, 
"Satan"  was  presented  to  some  one  who  could  better 
appreciate  all  his  unusual  eccentricities. 


38  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"Bishop,"  "Satan's"  successor,  was  a  reliable,  hand- 
some chestnut  who  was  never  known  to  commit  the 
slighest  indiscretion.  He  was  speedy  and  untiring  in 
his  long  drives  into  the  country,  several  of  which  were 
famous. 

O'Brien,  a  bright  young  Irish  student  or  physician 
I  don't  remember  which,  often  drove  with  Doctor  Gunn 
on  his  rounds.  One  morning,  by  appointment,  O'Brien 
was  to  call  for  him  at  the  church.  It>  was  just  before 
Christmas,  when  the  young  people  were  especially 
devoted  to  St.  Andrew's.  Evergreens  with  their  spicy 
fragrance  filled  the  aisles.  All  the  girls  were  there 
with  one  or  two  exceptions,  wearing  old  party  gloves  to 
protect  their  fingers  while  they  religiously  fashioned 
their  emblems  and  at  the  same  time  carried  on  their 
small  but  interesting  flirtations.  He  came — his  eye 
scanned  each  separate  group  even  to  a  remote  corner  of 
the  church,  where  two  more  zealous  at  their  task  were 
seated  beneath  a  pine  that  seemed  to  be  growing  for 
their  benefit.  Not  finding  the  one  he  sought,  but  who 
lived  near,  he  turned  his  steps  toward  her  home.  An 
hour  later  he  saw  Bishop  passing,  and  stepping  out 
hailed  O'Brien,  who,  taking  in  the  situation,  accosted 
him:  "Ah,  Doctor,  I  see  ye  are  at  yer  devotions!" 
After  returning  from  the  country,  when  nearing  the 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  39 

office,  O'Brien  asked,  quizzically,   "Now,  Doctor,  shall 
I  icike  ye  hack  to  jer  devotions?  for  sure — 

"  'Love  is  like  a  dizziness: 
It  winna  let  a  body 
Grang  aboot  his  bizziness.'  " 


CHAPTER  SIXTH. 

TAOCTOE  GUNN  was  twenty-five!  we  had  been  mar- 
^  ried  three  Aveeks !  when  one  night  he  was  called  np 
in  haste.  I  had  never  taken  kindly  to  the  profession, 
but  my  antagonism  was  then  in  its  infancy.  There  was 
some  small  excuse  for  timidity,  onrs  being  the  only 
sleeping-room  on  the  first  floor.  Making  his  prepara- 
tions to  go  out,  I  dolefully  inquired,  "Doctor,  are  you 
really  going?"  "Going?"  he  reiterated,  and  looked  as 
any  impecunious  young  doctor  might  look  at  the  wife 
whom,  wisely  or  unwisely,  he  had  taken  to  support. 
With  a  few  reassuring  words,  and  saying  that  he  would 
be  back  soon  in  all  probability,  I  relented,  but  called 
out  after  him:  "Remember,  I  shall  not  sleep  one  wink 
until  you  return." 

He  said: — "This  was  my  first  experience,  and  on  the 
whole  my  best.  I  hurried  to  my  patient,  was  not 
detained,  prescribed,  and  was  back  in  less  than  an  hour. 
With  winged  feet  I  fiew  to  my  sleepless  wife,  with 
eager  hand  unlocked  the  door,  crossed  the  hall,  and 
approached  our  room.     I  had  endowed  her  with  every 

40 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  41 

feminine  attribute;  but,  ye  gods!  what  sound  was  that? 
Oblivious  to  me,  to  her  bugbear,  and  to  her  fears, 
snored  my  unconscious  wife.  Yes,  actually  snored! 
in  the  face  of  her  last  promise.  Ignored,  so  soon!  I 
began  to  think  I  was  not  of  much  account  after  all. 
Then  I  reasoned:  It  is  better  thus,  she  has  learned  her 
first  lesson  (I  hope  the  others  will  come  as  easy) ;  but 
O !  false  delusion,  this  was  the  first  nap  and  the  last  she 
ever  indulged  in  when  I  was  out  at  night  on  profes- 
sional business." 

Doctor  Gunn  concluded,  before  entering  upon  his 
service  in  the  University,  to  spend  the  winter  of  1849- 
50  in  New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Boston,  visiting 
the  hospitals  and  schools.  We  were  then  at  the 
"Franklin,"  which  had  gone  through  many  metamor- 
phoses, but  the  rooms  en  suite  were  desirable  and  were 
furnished  according  to  the  plethoric  or  attenuated 
purses  of  their  occupants;  giving  to  them  an  individu- 
ality and  a  home-like  appearance. 

My  husband's  practice,  though  not  large,  was  very 
laborious;  the  long  di'ives  over  execrable  country  roads 
made  it  fatiguing.  He  had  some  prominent  patrons 
among  the  town's  people,  and  others  that  were  not  so 
prominent,  but  his  most  lucrative  practice  was  among 
the  Germans.  His  tastes  were  extravagant,  but  he  ab- 
horred debt,  and  rather  than  incur  one,  would  undergo 


42  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

privation.  As  an  illustration:  When  first  we  went  to 
housekeeping,  lie  sold  his  watch,  bought  another  less 
expensive,  and  with  the  surplus  purchased  a  desired 
piece  of  furniture.  He  was  not,  however,  an  adept 
in  commercial  enterprises.  If  he  wanted  an  article  he 
was  ready  to  pay  its  full  value,  or,  his  friends  said, 
usually  '.'a  little  more." 

Doctor  Gunn's  mother  once  asked  a  nephew  how 
her  son  was  doing.     "O!  he  is  doing  well;  don't  trouble 

about  him.     You  know.  Aunt  G ,  the  doctor  never 

pays  a  dollar  for  anything  if  he  can  get  it  for  a  dollar 
and  a  lialfr 

The  doctor  told  with  amusement  an  incident  of  a 
rich  old  Irish  farmer  who  never  paid  a  doctor's  bill  if 
he  could  help  it.  He  held  the  Irishman's  note,  but 
said  there  was  little  prospect  of  ever  holding  his  money. 
After  a  year  or  more  he  turned  the  note  over  to  a  sharp 
business  fii'm.  When  their  collector  presented  the 
note,   O'Connor    said:    "Sure,    an   I'll  not  pay  that!" 

Being  informed  that  the  note  was  held  by  the  M s, 

he  shouted:  "Is  thim  the  divils?  Troth,  thin,  I  may 
as  well  be  afther  payin  yez." 


Leaving  for  the  East  a  few  weeks  in  advance  of  my 
husband,  his  letters  will  give  a  glimpse  of  his  daily 
proceedings  for  the  next  few  months. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  43 

"Ann  Arbor,  Sepiember  26ih,  1849. 

"I  have  just  returned  from  the  country,  driven  to 
the  postoffice,  found  youi*  letter,  read  it  twice,  and  am 
seated  to  respond  to  its  contents.  The  day  after  you 
left  I  went  to  Lima,  fi'om  there  to  Portage  Lake,  into 
Livingston  county,  and  home  by  the  way  of  Hamburg. 
I  arrived  at  six,  but  avoided  my  rooms  on  account  of 
the  loneliness.  ..... 

"  On  Tuesday  C.  L returned  and  remained  until 

Thursday,  when  F came,  and  they  both  went  home 

together.  Fenton  has  been  nominated  for  lieutenant- 
governor.  While  they  were  waiting  for  their  carriage 
to  come  round,  I  said,  'Come,  let  us  go  up  to  my  room.' 

F replied,   '  Is  not  your  wife  gone  ? '     Upon  being 

answered  in  the  affirmative,  'Well,  then,  what  is  there 
to  go  up  for?'  ..... 

'■^ After^won,  Five  O'cIocJx. — I  had  wi'itten  thus  far 
when  called  away,  and  have  been  dri^dng  all  the  after- 
noon. .  '.  .1  am  tired  and  chilled  but  must 
say  a  few  words  and  mail  this  letter  to-night.  I  am 
sitting  at  the  dressing-table,  shorn  now  of  everything 
except  'Jules  Haules,'  the  only  object  between  me  and 
the  glass  from  which  is  reflected  your  lone  lord,  red 
whiskers  and  all.  The  rooms  look  so  desolate  that  I 
don't  know  how  I  shall  manage  for  the  next  six 
weeks."          ..... 


44  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"Ann  Aeboe,  September  30th,  1849. 
"I  have  abstracted  this  sheet  from  your  portfolio; 
therefore  the  blot  with  which  it  is  embellished  is  prob- 
ably your  own — so  much  by  way  of  apology  for  its 
presence.  It  is  Sunday  evening,  and  a  cold,  wet,  mel- 
ancholy day  it  has  been.  Mr.  Taylor  is  ill,  and  instead 
of  his  ministering  to  me  and  others  of  his  church,  I 
have  ministered  to  him. 

"  Thursday  Morning,  Eleven  O'clock. — Yesterday  I 
came  from  the  country  at  eleven  o'clock,  found  your 
letter,  read  it  and  was  prepared  to  answer  it  when  a 
man  made  his  appearance  for  me  to  go  into  the  country 

to  one  of  those cases,  which  if  I  could  I  would 

forever  foreswear.  I  went,  and  returned  at  half-past 
two  this  morning — fourteen  hours ! !  Owing  to  this,  I 
was  unable  to  send  you  a  letter  by  return  mail,  but  I 
could  not  avoid  it.  If  there  is  anything  I  hate,  it  is  one 
of  these  cases. 

"I  shall  be  very  busy  until  the  first  of  November; 
shall  not  get  away,  perhaps,  before  the  tenth. 
Knowing  your  fondness  for  details,  I  shall  commence 
a  history  of  my  daily  thoughts  and  doings,  that  on  the 
arrival  of  your  letter,  I  can  send  you  a  long  one  in 
return."  ..... 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  45 

"Ann  Arbor,  Ocfoher  ofh,  1849. 
"Agreeable  to  my  promise  yesterday,  I  begin  my 
journal. 

"Last  evening  was  spent  in  Mrs.   D 's  room 

playing  euchre  with  Mrs.  D ,  Mrs.  P and  Mr. 

A .     You  know   I    am   not  fond  of   playing,   but 

euchre  is  my  fate,  or  to  be  left  to  my  own  forlorn 
society. 

"The  other  evening  in  W 's  store,  talking  with 

a  circle  of  men,  the  conversation  turned  upon  a  certain 

charity.     B ,  with  plenty  of  means,  is  not  much  of 

a  favorite;  he  proposed  giving  two  barrels  of  flour!     I 

offered  my  services.     B ,  evidently  considering  this 

a  small  contribution,  inquired,  'About  how  much, 
doctor,  do  you  consider  your  services  worth  ? '  '  O,  not 
much;  possibly  about  as  much  as  your  flour !^ 

"Do  you  recollect  the  darkey  who  did  some  work 
for  us  and  took  such  a  fancy  to  you ?  (all  the  darkies  do) . 

Well,  while  I  was  in  W 's  store   this   evening   he 

came  in.  I  noticed  that  one  of  his  hands  was  deformed. 
I  asked  him  to  let  me  look  at  it.  As  he  showed  it  to 
me,  he  said,  'Doctor,  you  have  seen  it  a  hundi'ed  times 
befo' !  Why,  I  knowed  you,  and  you'  father,  and  all  the 
folks  in  Bloomfield.  I  was  mos'  suah  it  was  you  the 
fus'  time  I  heerd  you'  name  '     He  was  raised  in  Can- 


46  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

auclaigua,  knew  every  one  there,  was  very  talkative,  and 
wanted  to  know  all  about  'How  de  young  missus  was.' 

'^Sunday  Morning. — It  is  cold,  and  continues  to 
rain,  and  with  the  wind  in  the  north-west  is  drear  and 
horrible  as  you  can  imagine.     The  quicker  I  get  out  of 

these  rooms  and  let  Mrs.  D have  them  the  better. 

M about    once   a  week    sweeps   and    dusts,   then 

arranges  the  chairs,  all  in  a  row,  round  the  room.  I 
come  in  and  scatter  them  about  in  double-quick  time, 
but  they  never  look  right.  I  am  growing  unfriendly 
to  the  surroundings  and  shall  vacate  the  rooms  without 

much  regret,  leaving  Mrs.  D to  get  all  the  pleasure 

out  of  them  she  can.  ..... 

"To-day  has  been  miserably  wet  and  unpleasant.  I 
have  been  ten  miles  into  the  country  this  afternoon. 
During  these  drives  I  ponder  a  good  deal  over  the 
future.        ...        I  have  an  invitation  to  Mrs. 

M 's  to  night,  but  do  not  intend  to  go.   The  H s 

expect  me  to  dine  there  every  Sunday,  Avhich  I  cannot. 
I  forgot  to  mention  dining  there  the  first  Sunday  after 
you  left. 

'' Saturday  Evening. — Again  I  am  seated  in  my  dis- 
mal room,  while  you  are  wondering  why  you  received 
no  letter  from   me  to-day.  .  .  :  This 


MEMOKIAL   SKETCHES.  i^ 

moment  that  I  have  begun  writing,  I  am  summoned 
awaj.  ..... 

'-'Sunday  Evening. — I  promised  to  call  at  J.  P '3 

to-niglit.    It  is  now  ten  o'clock,  and  another  evening  lias 

been  wliiled  away.     T\'lien  leaving.  H handed  me 

this  parody  to  send  to  you.  I  affix  it  to  the  sheet;  the 
last  stanza  strikes  me  as  particularly  apropos.'' 

'^Monday  Xoon. — Tour  two  sorrowful  letters  have 
come,  and  I  stop  in  the  midst  of  moving  to  close  this 
and  dispatch  it  to  your  comfort.  Only  one  night  more 
in  the  dreary  old  rooms!  Eveiything  is  out  of  the  par- 
lor, and  nearly  everything  out  of  the  sleeping   room. 

I  shall  start  just  as  soon  as  I  can 
deposit  my  vote  in  the  ballot-box,  vrhich  will  be  four 
weeks  from  Tuesday." 

"Akn'  Aeboe,  Ocioher  9fh.  1849. 
"It  is  just  after  dinner,   Tuesday.      I  have  every- 

thinof  arrano:ed,  and  stored  awav.     Mrs.  D is  now 

moving  down.      She  occupies  C s  parlor  for  a  day 

or  two,  and  has  ordered  a  fire  made  and  has  just  told 
me  to  cro  in  and  make  mvself  comfortable.  I  have 
done  so,  and  finding  pens  and  paper  on  the  table,  have 
appropriated  a  sheet,  on  which  I  begin  a  letter  to  you. 


48  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"'Time  seems  to  creep  as  decrepit  with  age,'  wlien 
I  think  of  the  time  set  for  my  departure.     . 

"  Wednesday. — I  am  only  half  recovered  from  a 
cold,  taken  while  engaged  in  that  laudable  enterprise 
of  moving,  which  needs  youi'  commendation. 

"To-day  is  the  beginning  of  the  fair;  the  town  is 
full  of  the  queerest  specimens  of  humanity  that  ever 
took  premiums  at  any  fair!  I  have  been  out  on  busi- 
ness, in  the  mud  and  wet,  through  it  all,  when  I  ought 
to  have  been  at  home. 

^^Thursday  Evening. — By  another  miserable  mis- 
take of  the  Detroit  postmaster,  our  mail  was  sent  on  to 
Battle  Creek,  while  we  received  theirs.  I  am  a  little 
better  of  the  cold,  but  have  a  voice  like  a  young  bull. 
I  should  like  to  establish  a  momentary  telegraph 
between  us.  Friday  and  Saturday's  mails  bring  no 
letter  from  you.  What  can  it  mean?  To-day  is  the 
eleventh;  only  twenty  days  more,  before  I  hope  to  join 
you.  Business  is  about  over,  and  nothing  but  collec- 
tions  shall  detain  me.     Mrs.   D has  just  told  me 

she  wished  I  had  my  old  rooms  back  again,  for  she 
might  as  well  try  to  sleep  in  bedlam  as  in  rooms  so 
near  the  dining-room."  ..... 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  49 

"Ann  Aeboe,  October  14fh,  1S49. 

"It  is  Sunday  morning,  I  have  no  countrv  patients, 
and  my  A-illage  business  is  finished  for  the  day,  unless 
something  new  comes  up.  It  is  a  beautiful  morning, 
and  so  unlike  any  we  have  had  for  the  last  two  or  three 
weeks,   that  it   is   indeed   a   novelty.     Next   Thursday 

evening  is  disposed  of.     I  am  going  to  the  E s  to 

dinner.  .....  • 

''Sunday,  Nine  P.  31.,  Ocfoher  21sf,  1S49. — I  have 
just  finished  a  very  interesting  picture  founded  on 
the  history  of  Chillon  and  the  long  captiAity  of  the 
unfortunate  Bonnivard  in  its  dungeons.  Thus  I  man- 
age to  while  away  the  time.  During  the  week,  I  am 
able  to  get  along  quite  comfortably  till  evening;  then 
I  find  it  impossible  to  keep  myself  from  sinking  into  a 
melancholy  musing,  and  dwell  on  thoughts  sometimes, 
I  could  hardly  wi'ite  to  you.  .... 

"My  patrons  seem  to  take  an  interest  in  mv  plans 
for  the  coming  winter  and  exert  themselves  to  help  me 
off.  My  good  German  fi'iends  come  up  to  the  mark  and 
pay  the  money  on  bills  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five 
dollars  less  than  two  months  old.  I  am  often  surprised 
at  the  cheerfulness  with  which  they  acknowledge  and 
liquidate  their  indebtedness.  Governor  Fenton  sent  a 
man  from  Flint  to  consult  me  in  a  case  of  suro-ery 
which  will  lead  to  an  operation. 


50  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

'■'■  Friday  Evening. — Nothing  can  exceed  the  dull- 
ness which  surrounds  me.     I  meditate  on  my  approach- 
ing escape,  and  count  the  days  before  leaving. 
To-morrow,  I  have  to  go  to  Hamburg,  a  consultation 
case.     In  eight  days  I  start  for  New  York. 

^^ Saturday  Evening^  October  27 ih. — I  leave  next 
Thursday,  and  this  will  hardly  reach  you  in  time  to 
announce  my  coming.  I  am  very  tired  to-night,  hav- 
ing ridden  from  here  to  Hamburg  and  back  over  the 
worst  kind  of  roads."      ..... 


Doctor  Gunn, arrived  in  Bloomfield,  according  to  his 
date,  remained  a  few  days,  and  then  went  on  to  New 
York,  where  he  writes  from  the  Irving  House,  on 
November  28th: 

"The  loneliness  I  felt  at  our  dear  old  Ann  Arbor, 
after  you  left,  was  nothing  compared  to  this  I  now  feel 
in  this  bedlam  city.  .  .  .To  begin  ba\)k. 

I  had  a  cold,  unpleasant  ride  to  Vienna.  When  I 
arrived  at  Geneva,  amused  myself  by  going  up  to  the 
College  and  calling  upon  Dr.  Hoadley.  The  evening 
dragged  until  nine  o'clock,  when  I  sought  refuge  in  my 
almost  never-failing  friend  Morpheus.  I  was  called  in 
the  morning,  to  take  the  boat  at  six.  The  trip  up  the 
lake  compensated  in  a  measure  for  the  Avr etched  staging 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  51 

from  the  head  of  the  lake  to  Elmira.  We  were  till 
half  past  four,  making  the  distance  from  Elmira, 
twenty-two  miles.  The  wild  scenery  of  the  Delaware, 
through  which  the  Erie  railroad  passes,  is  not  unlike 
the  Mohawk  at  Little  Falls.  We  arrived  this  evening, 
and  New  York  is  noisier  and  more  like  Babel  than 
ever.  The  whole  day  I  have  run  and  run,  until  my 
feet  ache  with  pressing  the  pavement,  the  hardness  of 
which  is  only  exceeded  by  the  flint-like  expression  of 
the  countenances  of  the  Gothamites. 

"It  is  six  o'clock,  the  house  is  full,  but  I  feel  entire- 
ly alone.  ...  I  will  find  your  friends 
the  D s  to-morrow. "       . 

"Irving  House,  New  York, 
''November  29th,  1849. 

"I  wrote  you  last  night  out  of  the  fullness  of  my 
heart,  and  to-night,  my  heart  feels  about  as  full  as  it 
did  last  night.  ,  .  .  One  little  bright 
spot  is  the  recollection  of  my  call  at  D s. 

"There  are  many  pleasures  and  conveniences  in  this 
city,  and  there  are  also  many  drawbacks.  With  my 
present  feeling,  any  desirable  inland  town  suits  my 
ideas  of  comfort  better  than  New  York  ever  could. 
For  two  or  three  days  past,  Broadway,  from  its  begin- 
ning to  its  end,  has  been  one  puddle  of  mud!     Thirty 


52  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

thousand  people  who  are  constantly  threading  this  great 
thoroughfare  keep  the  pavements  covered  with  mud  an 
inch  deep,  about  the  consistency  of  thick  cream,  and 
on  the  cress  walks,  about  as  thick  again.  When 
crowded  with  carts,  omnibuses  and  carriages,  if  you 
wish  to  cross  from  one  side  of  the  street  to  the  other, 
you  must  run  the  gauntlet  of  the  numerous  vehicles, 
with  other  pedestrians  like  yourself.  If  you  escape 
without  being  knocked  down,  you  are  fortunate.  This 
is  no  exaggeration,  if  one  wishes  to  cross  Broadway  at 
any  time,  or  at  any  point  between  the  park  and  Wall 
street. 

"This  is  the  unpleasant  side  of  the  picture.  But 
now  take  the  glowing  evening  view  of  Broadway  on  a 
fine  dry  night  when  the  magnificent  and  varied  display 
in  the  shop  windows  bursts  upon  the  sight  almost  like 
the  magical  changes  of  stage  scenery.  The  prodigal 
expenditure  of  money  to  unfold  nearly  everything  of 
which  the  brain  can  conceive,  is  used  to  engage  the 
attention  of  the  passer-by.  You  meet  the  same  vast 
multitude,"  ever  busy,  ever  changing,  and  over  the 
whole  are  thrown  the  brilliant  gas-jets  of  the  streets  and 
stores ;  you  move  along  in  the  throng  with  the  thunder- 
ing of  omnibuses  on  the  one  side  and  the  brightly 
lighted  shops  upon  the  other.  The  large  glass  fronts 
expose  to  view  the   illuminated    interior,   the   marble 


MEMOKIAL   SKETCHES.  53 

floor,  the  caryed  and  gilt  tables ;  Avhile  above  and  upon 
the  sides  are  tastefully  arranged  the  costly  wares. 
Here  is  a  gentleman's  furnishing  establishment  with 
ten  thousand  fancy  articles;  next  comes  a  dry  goods 
house  of  bewildering  attractions  in  silks,  laces,  velvets, 
and  gorgeous  imported  costumes  to  rivet  the  attention. 
A  glance  shows  how  one  would  like  to  linger  and 
partake.  Contiguous  to  this  is  a  jewelry  house  where 
beautiful  designs  and  novelties  gleam  entrancingly  on 
the  view.  Then  the  druggist's  display  of  fancy  jars 
and  glass,  in  variegated  array.  But  I  will  go  no 
further  in  tlie  category. 

"Now  let  us  revert  to  the  darker  side  of  the  picture. 
The  evening  is  bitterly  cold.  You  are  passing  the 
'Astor,'  with  its  shops  as  alluringly  bright  as  those 
already  described  above;  the  windows  of  splendidly 
furnished  apartments  are  sending  forth  rays  of 
dazzling  light,  exposing  borders  of  rich  drapery,  while 
in  others  through  a  filmy  web  of  lace  the  soft  light 
gleams.  All  is  gay  and  bright  within.  We  turn  a 
corner  just  outside  of  all  this  luxury.  Sitting  upon  an 
old  stool,  beside  an  old  table,  beneath  the  glimmering 
street-lamp,  is  the  venerable  vender  of  her  daily  and 
nightly  wares.  She,  poorly  clad,  shivering  with  cold, 
waits  for  some  one  to  buy, — it  may  be  to  feed  some 
starving  ones  at  home.       Here  a  little  fellow,  young  in 


54  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

years,  but  old  in  sin,  with  scarcely  clotlies  to  hide  his 
nakedness,  shakes  a  paper  in  your  face,  crying  lustily, 
'Evening  Express!  third  edition!  great  mob  in  Boston!' 
when  it  contains  no  such  announcement.  There  sits  a 
miserable  mendicant  holding  out  his  hand  for  a  penny. 
Farther  on  you  are  met  by  an  apology  of  womankind 
with  a  little  abortion,  almost,  in  her  arms,  who,  while 
she  begs,  if  you  would  stop  to  listen,  tells  a  story  of 
distress  that  would  sicken  you  to  the  heart.  You  can't 
imagine  the  tenth  part  of  the  misery  in  this  city ; 
much  is  real,  and  some,  of  course,  is  feigned. 

^^  Sunday  Afternoon. — I  have  not  seen  a  pleasant 
Sunday  since  I  came  to  New  York.  If  you  arrive  in 
Bloomfield  by  the  25th,  I  will  direct  my  next  to  Cen- 
terfield." 

This  was  the  nearest  point  for  receiving  and  post- 
ing our  letters.  An  old  red  brick  house  which  had 
once  flourished  as  a  country  inn,  bore  over  its  door  the 
magic  word.  Post  Office.  Always,  when  driving 
through*  Centerfield,  to  and  from  Canandaigua,  I  felt 
impelled  to  stop  and  inquire  for  some  impossible 
letter. 


memorial  sketches.  00 

"Ieyixg  House,  New  Yoek, 
''December  8ilu  1849. 

"You  were  right  in  saying  my  first  day  in  New  York 
would  be  my  loneliest.  My  time  is  more  occcnpied, 
yet  it  sometimes  drags  heavily.  I  contemplate  an 
alteration  in  my  projects  which  may  enable  me  to 
finish  in  Canandaigna,  what  I  have  begun  here. 

"  I  found  my  old  friend  Thomas  Rochester.  He 
lives  on  Houston  street.  Yesterday,  going  up  Broad- 
way, I  met  T ;  he  is  at  the  Theological   Seminary. 

There  is  now  in  Xew  York  a  member  of  every  class 
that  has  been  graduated  at  the  University.  This  morn- 
ing on  the  Ferry  I  met  J.  W :  was  introduced,  and 

then  gave  him  youi*  Uncle  Tan  D "s  letter  of  intro- 
duction.    He  is  a  very  elegant  man.     I  frequently  pass 

youi'  Uncle  A.  L.  J 's  ofiice,  but  shall  not   present 

my  letter  to  your  eminent  relative  until  I  return  from 
Philadelphia.  .  .   ,        . 

''I  have  just  learned  that  my  brother,  who  has  been 
a  year  in  Buenos  Ayi'es,  had  a  very  tedious  time  in 
getting  to  California.  They  were  blown  three  thou- 
sand miles  off  their  course,  off  the  Horn,  and  during  the 
gale  the  first  mate  was  blown  overboard  and  lost!  For 
two  days  the  ship  lay  on  her  beam-ends,  and  no  one 
thought  she  would  right  up  again ;  but  finally  she  did, 
and  then  had  six  feet  of  water  in  her  hold!"'    . 


56  memorial  sketches. 

"Irving  House,  New  York, 
''December  22nd,  1849. 

"It  is  too  rainy  to  be  out  as  much  as  my  business 
demands.  I  have  just  come  in,  and  after  reading  some 
of  the  Detroit  papers  in  the  reading-room,  have  seated 
myself  at  the  public  writing-table  to  begin  a  letter  to 
you.  Yesterday  was  bright,  clear,  and  not  cold.  I 
went  to  GreenAvood;  saw  many  fine  things,  and  as  many 
that  were  ridiculous — every  variety  of  taste,  and  every 
way  of  its  exhibition.  ..... 

"There  is  a  new  comic  pantomime,  by  the  Bavels, 
just  out  at  Niblo's — the  scenery  new,  made  expressly  for 
them,  and  said  to  be  gorgeous.  I  have  not  yet  been  to 
the  theatre,  but  shall  go  next  week.    ■      . 

"I  attended  Grace  church  this  morning;  sat  with 

J.  W .     He  is  a  very  polished  man,  and  very  polite 

to  me,  and  I  like  him.  I  had  a  letter  from  Dr.  Carr 
yesterday,  in  which  he  expresses  great  satisfaction 
at  the  prospect  of  my  coming  there  to  make  the  prepa- 
rations. He  is  a  trump,  and  the  ace  at  that.  I  have 
made  some  very  pleasant  acquaintances  in  the  profes- 
sion, here  in  New  York,  some  capital  fellows.  Will 
tell  you  more  when  I  see  you."      .... 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  57 

"New  Toek,  Ja.nuarij  6fh,  1850. 

"Testerday  I  spent  at  Blackwell's  Island  at  the  peni- 
tentiary hospital:  dined  with  Dr.  Kellv.  the  physician 
to  the  Island.  The  hospital  is  filled,  principally,  with 
those  abandoned  creatures  who  are  ^^ictims  of  their  own 
folly,  and  if  the  poor  outcasts  on  the  brink  of  destruc- 
tion could  see  half  of  what  is  to  be  seen  there  in  that 
hospital  they  would  stay  their  downward  career  and 
starve  rather  than  anticipate  such  an  end ;  and  if  men 
who  forget  the  laws  of  nature  and  of  God.  and  tram- 
ple them  under  foot,  could  see  such  convincing  proof 
as  is  to  be  seen  in  the  male  wards  of  that  hospital,  that 
•the  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard.'  self-preserva- 
tion, if  nothino^  else,  would  make  them  alter  their 
course.  ....... 

"  I  shall  go  to  Philadelphia  on  Tuesday.  Direct 
yoiu'  next  to  the  'Columbia  Hotel."  Chestnut  street. 
There  is  a  mio-htw  siofht  of  humbuc:  aroino^  on  here. 
The  power  of  humbugging  is  as  good  as  a  fortune  here 
in  New  York.  I  shall  stop  at  the  •  Astor'  on  my  return. 
before  going  to  Boston;  dii'ect  your  other  letters  there. 

"I  called,  last  week,  tipon  my  old  friend  Dr. 
Rochester  and  found  him  with  the  badges  of  mourning 
for  his  brother,  who  had  just  died  in  California.  It 
was  the  brother  who  was  graduated  with  him  at  Geneva 
Collese,  the  commencement  vou  were  there :  you  must 


58  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

remember  them  both.  How  much  sad  news  of  this 
kind  comes  with  every  steamer,  and  yet  the  half  is  not 
told! 

"  Write  by  return  mail,  and  send  H to  Center- 
field  with  your  letter.  I  have  a  pocketful  of  letters  to 
Philadelphia  men  which  I  think  I  shall  use."     . 

''Philadelphia,  January  lOih,  1860. 

"  Here  I  am  in  Philadelphia,  in  a  medical  point  of 
view,  the  Paris  of  this  country.  There  is  a  medical 
atmosphere  here  that  is  really  refreshing.  If  you  were 
here  you  would  enjoy  it  as  much  as  I  do. 
There  are  now  in  this  city  some  twelve  hundred  medi- 
cal students  in  attendance  upon  the  different  medical 
colleofes.  One  thousand  of  them  are  members  of  two 
of  the  schools,  so  that  the  professors  of  each  of  these 
two  schools  lecture  to  classes  of  five  hundred. 

"  The  politeness  of  the  faculty  here  is  unsurpassed. 
To  give  you  an  example.  I  arrived  Tuesday  evening  at 
nine  o'clock  I  had  some  half-dozen  letters  to  the  most 
eminent  men  in  the  profession.  Yesterday  (Wednes- 
day) morning,  I  called  at  one  of  the  colleges  and  found 
that  there  was  no  lecture  until  twelve  o'clock.  Then  I 
went  to  Dr.  Meigs'  residence  and  handed  him  my 
letter.  He  was  just  going  out  on  his  morning  expedi- 
tion and  could  devote  but  a  few  minutes  to  me  then, 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  59 

but  said:  'To-day  my  children  come  liome  to  a  family 
dinner.  You  must  come  and  dine  with  me.'  I  went, 
had  a  fine  dinner,  met  a  son  and  his  wife,  and  a  daugh- 
ter and  her  husband,  a  Mr.  Biddle,  a  cousin  of  Major 
Biddle  of  Detroit. 

"  Before  going  there  I  visited  the  hospital,  and  at 
one  o'clock  went  to  hear  Professor  Pan  coast.  I  had  a 
letter  to  him.  On  presenting  it,  he  was  yery  cordial 
and  asked  immediately  if  I  had  a  wife  with  me;  said 
Mrs.  Pancoast  had  some  friends  engaged  for  the  even- 
ing and  I  must  certainly  join  them. 
On  my  return  I  found  a  note  from  Dr.  Neill  inviting 
me  to  a  medical  club  at  his  house  to-night. 

"  This  morning  presented  my  letter  to  Dr.  Muter, 
Professor  of  Surgery,  and  from  him  received  another 
invitation  to  a  party  at  his  house  to-night,  also  a  medi- 
cal party.  I  am  going  to  both.  Professor  Horner  of 
the  other  school  said  he  considered  me  engaged  to  him 
for  Saturday  night  to  attend  a  Wister  party.  These 
had  their  origin  in,  and  were  named  for  Dr.  Wister, 
Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. You  see  the  M.Ds.  of  this  City  of  Brotherly 
Love  have  a  kind  of  hospitality  peculiarly  their  own. 
Dr.  Pancoast  came  to  me  last  evening  and  regretted 
that  Mrs.  Gunn  was  not  present. 

"The  New  Yorkers  have  a  good  deal  of  suavity,  but 


60  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

the  politeness  of  the  Philadelphia  doctors  is  extended 
in  the  way  of  generous  hospitality,  and  almost  every 
member  of  the  profession  that  I  have  met  seems  to  be 
imbued  with  the  same  disposition.  As  I  said  before, 
Philadelphia  contains  a  medical  atmosphere  that  is  most 
refreshing,  and  if  you  could  see  the  way  the  doctors  do 
it  up  here,  you  would  admire  the  profession  more  than 
you  now  do."  .  .       -    . 

"AsTOE  House,  New  Yoek, 
'^January  15fh,  1850. 

"  I  came  here  from  Philadelphia  this  morning  and 
found  your  two  letters  which  arrived  last  evening.  I 
find  this  a  more  central  point  for  doing  business  in  the 
shortest  possible  time,  and  as  I  have  only  a  few  days 
more,  am  hurrying  with  all  possible  expedition.  I  shall 
leave  for  Boston  on  Thursday  and  hope  to  receive  a 
letter  from  you  there.  Direct  to  the  '  Tremont.'  Do 
not  disappoint  me;  you  will  have  no  more  letters  to 
write  after  that.  .  .  .  You  may  look  for 
me  by  the  26th." 


CHAPTEE   SEVENTH. 

IT  was  perhaps  a  year  after  tlie  doctor's  retiim  from 
^  tlie  East,  tliat  he  purchased  a  roomy  house  nearly 
completed.  It  ^Yas  on  a  corner,  as  were  those  he  sub- 
sequently owned.  The  long  pillars  in  front  suggested 
a  style  of  Grecian  architectui*e  noAv  almost  obsolete. 
There  remained  one  thing  for  the  doctor  to  plan:  an 
outlook  from  the  roof,  enclosed  by  a  railing;  which  if 
it  did  not  beautify  the  house,  afforded  a  view  of  the 
country,  the  Lower  Town,  and  the  yalley  where  the 
Huron  flowed. 

All  our  energies  and  aspirations  were  centered  in 
this  new  home.  A  house  is  a  woman's  universe;  a 
small  world  of  glories,  struggles,  and  semi-tragic  com- 
edies which  the  graphic  pen  of  Jane  Carlyle  so  delight- 
fully reveals.  It  was  more  than  forty  years  ago  the 
doctor  squandered  some  of  his  mechanical  ingenuity  on 
household  adornment.  There  were  two  chairs  that 
derived  their  prestige  from  his  cleverness  in  upholster- 
ing; none  since  have  ever  seemed  half  so  beautiful 

61 


62  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

He  would  say,  ''My  wife  is  in  her  element  if  she 
can  inveigle  me  into  attempting  some  almost  utter  im- 
possibility about  the  house.  She  has  great  faith  in  my 
creatiye  powers,  and  watches  with  interest  (she  says) 
'the  deftness  of  my  execution'.  She  is  remarkably 
amiable  at  such  times,  waits  on  me,  brings  me  all  the 
tools,  and  while  I  tug,  and  hammer  and  pull  things  into 
place,  she  complacently  sits  by  and  holds  ilie  tacks! 

"On  one  of  these  occasions  while  working  on  a 
bracket  my  eye-glasses  caught  and  were  demolished! 
'There  is  economy  for  you ! '  I  exclaimed.  '  I  could  buy 
six  such  ircqos  for  what  one  pair  of  glasses  cost'. 
Wheedlingly,  she  replied,  'But,  doctor,  you  know  there 
is  twice  as  much  sentiment  when  you  drive  in  the 
nails. ^  " 

Time  for  hanging  pictures  came,  and  with  them 
came  the  tug  of  war;  the  doctor  was  tall  and  I  was 
short;  what  looked  well  to  him  never  looked  right  to 
me.  At  last,  losing  his  amiability,  he  declared,  "These 
pictures    will  be  the   death   of    me.      You    must   get 

A to  help  you;  perhaps  you  can  make  him  do  the 

impossible  which  you  require  of  me." 

Years  after  this,  at  Christmas,  I  began  giving  him 
presents  for  the  house;  an  economical  practice  some- 
times indulged  in  by  those  who  are  not  impecunious. 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  63 

He  forestalled  further  repetitions  by  relating  an  anec- 
dote (he  iisiially  had  one  ready)  of  a  woman  who 
"adored"  her  husband,  but  at  Christmas  gave  him 
hric-a-hrac  or  other  things  she  desired  for  herself. 
For  years  Mr.  T had  been  the  unappreciatiye  re- 
cipient of  these  fayors;  at  last  he  determined  to  turn 
the  tables. 

On  this  occasion  his  wife  had  presented  him  with  a 
rocking-chair. — not  a  large  one  in  which  he  could  re- 
cline, but  a  small  sewing-chair  I  If  he  had  eA^er  felt 
a  twinge  of  compunction,  he  did  not  now.  Taking 
from  a  closet  near,  a  long,  narrow  case,  that  baffled 
recognition,  he  crossed  the  room  and  with  o:reat  em- 
pressemeni  handed  it  to  her.  With  delight  she  cried. 
"What  is  this  costly,  curious  thing?'"  with  eager  hands 
unlocked  the  case,  and — gasped — "A  sJiof  gun!  " 

This  sagacious  hint  from  the  doctor  secured  to  him 
eyer  after  (from  his  wife)  personal  and  expensive 
presents — which  he  paid  for. 

The  doctor's  yoice  in  earnest  conyersation  often 
became  yery  emphatic.  A  maid  who  for  some  unex- 
plainable  reason  was  quite  attached  to  me.  hearing  one 
day  his  "earnest  tones"  as  he  himself  called  them, 
turned  to  my  mother  with  an  anxious  whisper,  "Listen, 
ma'am;    can    it  be   that    the    doctor    is   scolding  Mrs. 


64  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

Gunn?^^     But  even  this  speculative  joke  failed  to  keep 
his  voice  toned  down. 

He  disliked  an  argument,  especially  with  me,  and 
had  little  patience  with  people  who  could  not  "grasp 
an  idea."  With  a  softening  preface  would  say:  ^^My 
dear,  you  should  never  try  io  argue,  for  you  have  no 
logic  in  your  composition;  natui'ally  you  are  bright 
bi*t  mentally  you  are  indolent;  you  never  like  to  dig 
down  to  the  root  of  things ;  if  knowledge  could  be  pain- 
lessly injected  (hypodermically),  no  doubt  you  would 
absorb  a  good  deal!  but  as  it  is  you  only  know  what 
sticks  to  you  in  spite  of  yourself.  The  variety  of  your 
schools — first  it  was  a  convent " 

"Please  don't  recapitulate  my  schools!  I  am  in 
one  now  where  I  expect  to  learn  more  than  I  was  ever 
i aught  in  all  the  others!" 

With  an  arch  look,  he  said,  "I  hope  so."  Then 
with  a  half -amused  smile,  "There  is,  however,  one  rare 
accomplishment  in  which  you  already  excel.  You 
would  make  a  capital  cross-questioning  lawyer."  I  was 
accustomed  to  his  raillery  and  deserved  nearly  all  his 
good-natured  irony,  but  at  this,  I  gave  him  a  Eoland 
for  his  Oliver. 

He  enjoyed  this  sharp  artillery  tongue-practice  and 
was  never  happier  than  when  calling  out  a  quick 
repartee. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  65 

In  1853  we  were  liying  in  Detroit,  not  far  from  the 
beautiful  river  in  whose  depths,  fourteen  years  later,  a 
tragedy  was  enacted  that  cast  a  shadow  on  onr  lives. 

Besides  a  general  practice,  the  doctor  was  obliged 
to  go  twice  a  week  to  Ann  Arbor  to  lectiu'e  on  surgery, 
making  these  days  full  of  arduous  labor  which  required 
physical  endurance.  In  his  last  lecture,  just  before 
dissolying  his  connection  with  the  university,  he  told 
the  students  that  in  order  to  iall:  to  them  he  had  trav- 
eled fifty-six  thousand  miles,  equal  to  twice  around 
the  globe  and  three-quarters  of  the  way  through  it. 

In  all  these  years  I  had  not  learned  to  be  a  philoso- 
pher. I  had  allowed  my  antagonism  to  increase  and 
magnify  the  small  vexations  of  my  husband's  profession 
until  one  day  I  proposed  the  visionary  scheme  that  he 
should  study  law.  ''  Sfudy  laic! '■  he  echoed;  ''what 
would  become  of  our  childi-en  while  I  studied  law? 
before  I  could  practice  law,  we  should  starve.'''  To  this 
I  had  no  ready  answer..  He  continued.  ''How  practi- 
cal it  would  be  for  a  man  who  had  lived  more  than  half 
his  days  to  commence  reading  Zatc/"  Still  facetiously: 
"I  have  a  Blackstone!  I  might  begin  with  that,  peruse 
Chitty  for  recreation,  and  so  on  through  the  whole 
catalogue  of  ligM  reading. ^^ 

Checkinor  his  satirical  badinao^e.  and  reofardinof  me 


66  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

with  earnestness,  he  said,  "  My ,  be  sensible.     Do 

not  for  a  mere  whim  urge  me  to  renounce  an  honorable 
profession  in  which  I  have  some  knowledge  and  some 
reputation  (though  God  knows  I  have  enough  yet  to 
learn).  My  study  of  medicine  and  surgery  has  almost 
just  begun;  there  are  mines  of  knowledge  to  be  ex- 
plored in  science  and  in  medicine  that  will  never  be 
exhausted  until  time  is  no  more.  Do  not  deter  me;  I 
must  continue  in  the  profession  which  I  have  chosen. 
Be  patient.  If  I  am  prospered,  in  a  few  years  I  will 
practice  surgery  aloiie.^^ 

I  have  heard  women  say  (the  men  were  probably 
angels)  "My  husband  never  spoke  a  cross  word  to  me 
in  his  life."  My  husband's  impatient  words  were  few, 
but  had  there  been  thousands,  they  would  stand  as 
nought  against  his  acts  of  nobility. 

I  have  often  wondered  whether  only  undisciplined 
women  are  aggrieved  when,  on  the  threshold  of  some 
anticipated  enjoyment,  they  are  intercepted  by  a  mes- 
sage that  "  Mrs.  So-and-So  wants  the  doctor." 

It  is  not  much,  only  a  few  words,  besides  it  is 
your  husband's  business;  but  how  it  does  upset  one's 
equanimity,  and  if  perchance  it  is  a  "chronic  case" 
that  one  has  heard  of  all  one's  days,  the  very  name 
has   power  to  exasperate.     These   trifling   disappoint- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  67 

ments,  and  some  sleepless  nights  are  the  exposition 
of  our  discomforts. 

Bnt  what  are  our  benefits  ?  It  is  so  agreeable  and 
convenient  to  have  a  doctor  of  one's  own,  to  relj  upon 
and  to  interrogate  at  will.  Surely  this  is  the  law  of 
compensation,  but  how  little  do  we  prize  it — how  care- 
less are  we  of  the  hand  that  shields  and  brings  us  all 
we  have !  In  one  brief  hour,  it  may  be  gone,  and  we 
be  left  in  isolation  and  in  gloom. 

Now,  in  the  retrospection,  how  gladly  would  I  take 
those  grievances  back  again,  and  in  the  maturity  of  my 
grief,  how  infinitesimal  they  seem! 


CHAPTER  EIGHTH. 

A  FTEE,  residing  some  years  in  Detroit,  in  rented 
-^^  houses  on  which  the  doctor  had  expended  time 
and  money  in  alterations,  making  them  convenient  for 
an  office  at  his  residence,  a  wealthy  patron  induced 
him,  not  greatly  against  his  own  inclination,  to  take  a 
large  and  convenient  dwelling,  near  his  own,  on  Jeffer- 
son avenue. 

This  friend  owned  the  residence,  and  made  liberal 
terms,  but  these  seemed  formidable  considered  in  con- 
nection with  the  furnishing  of  so  large  a  house. 
However,  the  matter  was  discussed  and  the  venture 
made.  The  house  was  old-fashioned,  well  finished, 
with  a  large  hall  opening  on  a  back  gallery.  A  hand- 
some dining-room  and  remarkable  cook,  were  induce- 
ments to  give  occasional  dinners  and  other  enter- 
tainments which,  turned  over  to  this  rather  wonderful 
individual,  caused  no  further  anxiety. 

Here  we  lived  in  comfort  and  some  exti'avagance, 
until  the  summer  of  1861,  when  my  husband  purchased 
a  handsome  place  more  than  a  mile  from  the  center  of 

68 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  69 

the  city.  The  grounds  were  embellished  with  horse- 
chestnut  trees,  their  foliage  being  so  luxuriant  and 
beautiful,  that  a  cousin  somewhat  given  to  romance 
named  it  "Chestnut  Place."  Here  we  spent  many  of 
our  happiest,  as  well  as  some  of  our  saddest  days. 
We  were  only  fairly  settled  in  this  second  new  home 
when  the  doctor  decided  to  go  into  the  army.  This 
involved  change,  pecuniary  loss,  and  the  breaking  up 
of  our  family. 


On  the  First  of  September,  in  the  Autumn  of  1861, 
Doctor  Gunn  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  as 
Surgeon  to  the  Michigan  Fifth.  He  found  the  climate 
of  Virginia  delightful,  and  the  excitement  and  novelty 
attractive.  Winter  quarters  were  less  agreeable,  and 
later,  the  march  up  the  Peninsula  became  intolerable. 
His  discomforts,  together  with  the  lack  of  means  to 
make  those  under  his  charge  less  uncomfortable, 
annoyed  and  distressed  him;  the  climate  impaired  his 
health,  and  in  July,  1862,  he  resigned. 


The  following  extracts  from  Doctor  Gunn's  letters 
while  in  the  army  may  interest  some  who  did  not  par- 
ticipate, and  may,  perhaps,  be  of  more  interest  to  those 
who,  as  he  did,  went  through  the  Peninsular  campaign 
with  General  McClellan. 


70  MEMORIAL   SKETCHi;^. 

"Camp  Richaedson,  September  20th,  1861. 

^^  Friday  Afternoon. — Did  I  only  consult  personal 
comfort  I  should  pronounce  myself  a  very  great  fool 
for  leaving  home  to  become  a  camp  pack-horse  for  a 
thousand  men,  for  such. is  a  surgeon  to  a  regiment  in 
the  field. 

"I  have  twelve  in  hospital  and  forty-six  in  quarters, 
for  every  one  of  whom  I  have  prescribed  this  day.  Not 
a  few  come  with  fancied  or  feigned  diseases:  the  first 
low-spirited  in  consequence  of  the  hardships  of  a  sol- 
dier's life;  the  last,  indolent  and  anxious  to  shirk  duty. 
These  two  classes  give  great  trouble. 

"  I  am  now  seated  in  my  tent  divested  of  super- 
fluous clothing,  uncomfortably  hot  and  thirsty;  how  I 
should  like  a  goblet  of  iced  Detroit  river  water! 

"Our  camp  is  well  situated  as  regards  ground,  with 
the  Potomac  sweeping  around  at  a  distance  of  three 
miles  on  the  north  and  two  on  the  east.  In  sight, 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  south-east  of  us,  on  a  high  hill, 
is  Fort  Richardson,  a  work  of  great  importance,  now  in 
process  of  construction.  West  of  us,  three  miles 
distant,  is  Munson's  Hill,  occupied  by  the  enemy, 
on  which  they  have  erected  important  fortifications. 
The  Michigan  Second  and  Third  are  encamped  three- 
quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  us,  and  all  around,  on  the 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES, 


71 


north-west,  north,  north-east,  east,  and  south-east  are 
encamped  an  immense  number  of  regiments. 

"  The  forests  are  levelled  to  the  ground  in  some 
instances,  and  even  orchards,  in  others.  A  part  of  our 
camp  is  located  upon  ground  where  was,  a  month  or  two 
since,  a  fine  young  orchard;  at  the  edge  of  my  tent  is 
the  stump  of  a  young  apple  tree,  the  brush  of  which 
had  to  be  removed  for  its  erection. 

"Such,  however,  is  war!  From  its  horrors,  let  us 
pray  for  deliverance.  When  or  where  an  engagement 
will  occur  it  is  impossible  to  say ;  many  predict  an  early 
one.  Both  parties  probably  will  be  somewhat  wary  and 
avoid  coming  together  unless  with  an  advantage  real  or 
supposed.  When  the  engagement  does  occur,  it  may 
be  the  result,  to  a  certain  extent,  of  accident. 

"We  shall  change  quarters  to-morrow;  that  is, 
oui*  mess  will,  the  colonel  making  his  head-quarters  in 
a  large,  double  three-story  house,  in  a  sightly  place 
close  by,  vacated  by  the  owner,  gone  South.  The  first 
night  on  this  side  of  the  Potomac,  I  slept  in  CaptaiD 
Whipple's  tent  at  the  camp  of  the  Second  regiment. 

''Sainrday  Afternoon,  Four  O'CIocJc. — I  have  had  a 
hard  day;  my  assistant  surgeon  was  ill  and  the  work 
nearly  all  devolved  on  me.  I  was  constantly  busy  till 
half  past  twelve,  and  to-day   pulled   and   hauled  until 


72  MEMOKIAL   SKETCHES. 

your  letter  was  received  at  four  o'clock.  I  have  had 
some  half  dozen  interruptions  since  I  commenced 
writing,  but  now  a  heavy  shower  has  come  up  and  is 
pouring  down  on  my  tent.  The  camp  which  half  an 
hoar  ago  was  resonant  with  all  varieties  of  sound,  is  as 
still  as  a  country  retreat,  the  rain  having  driven  all  to 
their  tents.  There  is  a  novelty  in  writing  under  such 
circumstances,  though  I  do  not  particularly  admire  the 
novelty.  As  the  rain  increases  a  few  drops  begin  to 
penetrate  the  cloth,  and  fall  upon  me  like  mist.  I 
shall  realize  my  later  experience  before  this  letter  is 
closed,  for  no  mail  bag  will  go  to  Washington  before 
Monday." 

''''Evening. — It  continues  to  rain,  and  blows  con- 
siderably, and  I  am  experiencing  all  the  wet  realities  of 
camp  in  a  rain-storm.  My  buffalo  robe  makes  a 
capital  bed,  and  gives  an  air  of  comfort  to  my  tent. 
The  rain  has  prevented  moving  into  the  house,  and  I 
must  spend  the  night  here.  I  have  just  been  called 
out  to  the  hospital  to  see  a  very  sick  man.  My  heart 
bleeds  for  the  poor  fellows  who  fall  ill  under  such 
circumstances,  lying  on  the  floor  with  a  little  straw 
interposed  between  it  and  their  blankets. 

"This  war  is  bad  enough  on  the  poor  soldiers.  God 
send  us  a  speedy  deliverance,  is  my  earnest  prayer;  but 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  73 

here  I  am  doT^Ti  in  old  Yii'ginia,  camped  out  in  a 
deluge  with  an  enemy  determined  and  strong,  close 
upon  our  lines.  Our  men,  many  of  them,  are  cool  and 
expect  to  meet  death.  One  said  to-day  he  expected  to 
be  killed!  if  he  escaped  should  be  glad  of  his  good 
luck.  I  overheard  others  say  the  night  we  crossed 
Long  Bridge,  '  Well,  boys,  probably  many  of  us  are 
crossing  this  bridge  both  for  the  first  and  the  last 
time.'  Such  are  some  of  the  reflections  that  present 
themselves  to  these  men."         ..... 

^'•Sunday  Evening,  Sepiember  22d. — I  have  to-day 
moved  over  to  our  head-quarters.  From  the  housetop, 
with  a  glass,  we  see  the  enemy  upon  their  fortifications 
on  Munson's  Hill,  three  miles  west  of  us.  We  saw  them 
walking,  color  of  their  uniforms,  motion  of  their  limbs, 
etc.     A  number  of  mounted  officers  were  present. 

"The  place  we  occupy  is  known  as  Hunter's  Chapel 
or  Hunter's  Cross  Koads,  originally  a  fine  place,  but 
the  trees  are  now  gone,  and  the  house  greatly  damaged. 
A  company  of  the  New  York  Thirty-Seventh,  before  we 
came,  nearly  ruined  the  house. 

"The  colonel  inhabits  the  front  sitting-room  on  one 
side  of  the  hall,  Ladue  the  front  and  I  the  back-parlor 
— folding  doors  between;  Mr.  Jacokes,  the  chaplain, 
has  the  chamber  over  the  colonel's  room.       We  dine  in 


<4:  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

the  regular  dining-room,  and  'Cam'  has  a  stall  in  the 
stable  and  is  becoming  a  great  cruiser. 

"There  are  some  attractions  about  this  kind  of  life 
which  compensate  for  many  of  its  privations. 

"You  may  remember  I  told  you  of  the  wife  of   a 

lieutenant  fi'om  S who  was  going  to   accompany 

the  regiment.  Well,  she  proves  to  be  a  second  cousin 
of  yours.         .  .  .        Her  husband.  Lieutenant 

O.  D ,    a   brave,   harum-scarum  fellow,   has   been 

through  the  Kansas  troubles,  was  twice  shot  and  now 
carries  one  ball  in  his  leg.  She  accompanies  him 
through  all  these  times  and  is  devoted  to  him." 

"Head-quaetees,  Camp  PacHAEDsox, 
"  Huntee's  Chapel,  September  23rd,  1861. 
^'Monday  Evening,  Nine  O' Clock. — I  have  just  re- 
turned from  a  review  of  the  whole  brigade  by  General 
Mc  Clellan ;  was  obliged  to  turn  out  in  full  unif onn  and 
take  my  designated  place  in  the  regiment,  that  place 
changing  in  the  various  evolutions.  Naturally  I  felt 
somewhat  awkward,  but  got  through  all  straight.  It 
was  necessary  to  don  a  sword  and  twice  salute  the  gen- 
eral; that  too  I  accomplished  A^dthout  a  blunder.  Gen- 
eral Mc  Clellan  is  quite  a  young  man,  and  looks  not 
unlike  Degarmo  Whiting.  He  was  attended  by  a  large 
retinue :  among  them.  Prince  de  Joinville  and  his  suite. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  75 

"To-day  I  met  Captain  Todd,  formerly  of  the 
United  States  Army.  He  told  me  lie  had  just  received 
a  commission  as  brigadier-general,  and  takes  command 
in  south-western  Missouri. 

"This  evening  a  bright  fire  burning  west  of  us  is 
supposed  to  be  a  large  barn  on  Munson's  Hill,  close  to 
the  rebel  fort,  full  of  hay,  and  large  stacks  of  grain 
about  it.  It  has  been  used  as  a  picket  stand  fi*om 
which  they  shoot  at  and  occasionally  wound  our 
pickets.  News  has  now  arrived  to  confirm  our  suspi- 
cions ;  the  barn  is  burning  and  was  fired  by  Michigan 
pickets  shooting  red-hot  rods  of   iron  into  it. 

"I  have  lost  a  patient  to-day;  a  poor  soldier  died 
of  brain  fever  brought  on  by  lying  outdoors  after  a 
hard  march.  The  nights  are  damp  from  heavy  dews 
that  settle  upon  us,  commencing  at  sundown.  It  is 
important  to  take  the  utmost  care  of  one's  health  here, 
but  the  soldiers  are  proverbially  careless  on  that  point." 

"  Tuesday  Evening,  24th.  —  Another  hard  day's 
work  done.  I  have  been  over  to  Washington  on  busi- 
ness connected  with  my  department.  It  has  been  warm 
and  I  have  had  a  great  deal  to  do,  and  am  quite  ready 
to  retire  to  my,  not  bed — but  stools!  Picture  me  sleep- 
ing on  three  camp  stools,  diinking  coffee  without  even 
milk,  and  calling  it  good! 


76  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"Our  pickets  are  just  in,  reporting  they  have  killed 
five  of  the  enemy's  pickets  in  the  last  twenty-four 
hours,  the  order  being  no  firing  on  their  pickets  unless 
to  return  a  first  fire.  They  sent  out  a  flag  of  truce, 
and  the  agreement  was  made  not  to  fire  any  more,  but 
this  will  not  long  be  maintained  in  all  probability.  The 
loss  of  the  barn  crippled  their  picket  service,  and  now 
they  are  on  a  par  with  our  men ;  before,  they  had  the 
advantage." 

''^Friday  Evening,  27 ih. — I  resume  my  journal  this 
evening  for  your  edification.  To-day  has  been  a  stormy 
one ;  more  or  less  rain  all  day ;  this  afternoon  and  eve- 
ning very  high  winds,  two  or  three  tents  having  been 
blown  down,  and  an  elevated  temporary  observatory 
which  had  been  erected  on  top  of  this  house,  shared 
the  same  fate.  One  of  the  timbers  struck  the  roof  of 
the  back '  wing,  breaking  a  hole  completely  through, 
frightening  my  darkey,  who  jumped  out  of  a  second 
story  window!     He  thought  a  shell  had  'struck  us,  sure.' 

"  To-night  is  intensely  dark  and  the  wind  continues 
to  blow  hard.  Three  musket  shots  have  just  been 
heard  where  some  of  our  regimental  pickets  are  sta- 
tioned. What  it  means  we  do  not  yet  know.  There  is 
an  alluring  excitement  about  this  life;  were  it  not  so, 
it  would  be  intolerable. 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  77 

"There  is  (thank  God!)  one  woman  in  camp  whose 
influence  is  humanizing.         .  .  .         Her  hus- 

band is  the  oddest  of  all  mortals,  has  the  credit  of 
being  braye,  but  says  of  himself,  that  he  thinks  it  is 
getting  dangerous,  and  that  he  shall  resign.  He  said 
this  afternoon  that  in  case  we  were  called  upon  to 
adyance,  he  would  be  found  in  the  rear.  I  asked  him 
how  it  would  be  in  case  a  retreat  should  be  sounded. 
He  replied  that  in  that  case  he  should  deem  it  his  duty 
to  lead  his  forces." 

^^  Saiurday  Evening.  — I  snatch  a  few  moments 
before  retiring,  to  relate  the  history  of  the  past  twenty- 
four  hours.  I  was  called  up  last  night  about  midnight 
to  dress  a  man's  hand  which  had  been  shot  by  his  own 
carelessness,  amputation  of  part  of  the  hand  being 
necessary. 

"This  afternoon  word  came  that  the  enemy  were 
eyacuating  Munson's  Hill.  This  news  was  followed  by 
the  order  to  send  the  right  wing  of  our  regiment  up  to 
reconnoiter.  The  companies  composing  it  were  soon 
under  way,  and  about  sundown  I  followed,  to  be  of  ser- 
yice  in  case  there  was  any  skirmishing.  My  services 
were  not  necessary,  as  our  men  took  quiet  possession  of 
the  place.  I  returned  to  our  quarters,  but  the  left 
wing,  and  two  other  regiments  haye  moyed  on  to  hold 
the  hill  to-night. 


78  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"  We  may  strike  tents,  and  encamp  up  there  to- 
morrow, though  this  is  mere  supposition.  We  would 
not  be  surprised  to  see  hot  work  within  the  next  twen- 
ty-four or  forty-eight  hours.  I  can  see  a  bright  light 
on  the  hill  to-night,  and  one  to  the  north-west,  as  of  a 
burning  building,  probably  at  Ball's  Cross  Roads.  Thus 
you  see  we  are  in  a  constant  state  of  excitement." 

"  Sunday  Evening,  Sepiemher  29th. — I  must  devote 
a  few  moments  to  you  before  retiring  for  the  night. 
Perhaps  recounting  the  day's  transactions  will  interest 
you  as  much  as  anything  I  can  do. 

"I  repaired  this  morning,  after  seeing  the  sick  in 
hospital,  to  Munson's  Hill,  where  I  found  that  during 
the  night  large  reinforcements  had  taken  place.  Regi- 
ment upon  regiment  had  accumulated  in  the  vicinity, 
and  from  the  hill  a  wide  range  of  view  opened  itself 
to  the  beholder. 

"While  on  the  hill.  General  McClellan,  attended  by 
his  body-guard,  composed  of  two  companies  of  cavalry, 
came  up.  It  was  a  fine  sight.  In  the  return  I  met 
Captain  Whipple,  who  introduced  me  to  Dr.  Magruder, 
who  was  stationed  at  Fort  Randall  when  the  Redfields 
were  there.  He  has  a  cousin,  General  Magruder,  in 
the  Southern  army. 

"After  this,  in  company  with  Dr.  McNutty  of  the 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  79 

New  York  Thirty-Seyenth,  I  started  on  an  exploration 
of  the  enemy's  country.  We  rode  on  a  conple  of 
miles  toward  Falls  Church,  finding  our  pickets  had 
been  pushed  on  as  the  enemy  had  withdi-awn.  Just 
before  reachino:  the  church,  Dr.  McXutty's  horse  ran 
with  him,  tearing  on  through  the  little  hamlet,  past  our 
last  picket.  The  doctor's  cap  flew  off;  picking  it  up.  I 
followed  on  to  our  last  picket;  further  I  was  not 
allowed  to  ^o.  Beyond  this  his  horse  ran  half  a  mile 
before  he  was  controlled.  I  fully  expected  him  to 
be  taken  prisoner,  but  fortunately  on  his  return  he 
reported  that  he  had  seen  nothing.  The  enemy  has 
retired,  perhaps  hoping  we  may  run  into  another  Bull 
Bun  trap.  We  haye  not  yet  receiyed  orders  to  strike 
tents,  though  an  order  to  that  effect  may  come  at  any 
time."  ..... 

."  Tuesday  Evenmg. — I  write  from  Munson's  Hill, 
where  I  came  at  noon  to-day.  Four  of  our  companies 
are  biyouacked  in  an  orchard  close  by;  they  sleep  on 
straw  under  the  apple  trees.  I  found  a  German  com- 
pany here,  raised  in  Saginaw,  singing  inspiringly.  It 
was  really  beautiful.  ..... 

"Munson's  has  been  greatly  deyastated  by  the  rebel 
army  while  they  were  here.  Munson,  a  Union  man, 
was  returninof  from  Alexandria,  four  weeks  acfo  to-day, 


80  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

when  the  enemy  took  possession  of  this  point.  He 
was  fii'ed  upon  and  had  his  horse  shot  under  him,  his 
horse  now  lying  where  he  fell.  Munson  came  here 
yesterday,  for  the  first  time  since  then,  feeling  terribly 
to  find  everything  so  completely  destroyed.  But  we 
have  nothing  to  boast  of  in  the  line  of  anti- vandalism, 
some  of  our  troops  acting  as  badly  as  it  is  possible  for 
men  to  act.  Unhappy  Virginia  has  indeed  suffered 
from  this  unhappy  war!  ..... 

"The  mail  is  this  moment  brought  in,  and  sitting 
round  on^fche  floor  are  several  officers  reading  letters 
from  their  wives.  All  is  noise  and  confusion,  with 
some  rejoicing,  others  disappointed." 

^^ Scdiirday  Evening.  —  I  write  from  Hunter's 
Chapel  at  the  old  room.  I  came  down  to  look  after 
matters  here,  and  as  the  day  is  oppressively  hot, 
and  as  my  assistant  surgeon  has  never  been  to  Mun- 
son's  Hill  and  wished  to  go,  I  sent  him  there  for  the 
night,  and  remain  here  myself. 

"To-morrow  we  are  to  have  service  there.  I  shall 
go  up,  and  then  return  for  the  night.  This  evening  I 
made  the  first  draft  on  the  sperm  candles  you  so 
thoughtfully  fui'nished.  Hitherto  Uncle  Sam  has  pro- 
vided all  that  was  necessary,  but  to-night  there  is  a 
screw  loose  somewhere  and  no  candles  are  in  quarters. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  81 

We  shall  probably  marcli  on  Mon- 
day.    I  have  given  you  our  destination." 

"  Sunday  Evening. — I  have  been  across  the  river 
this  afternoon  to  visit  Broadhead's  Cavalry  camp. 
They  occupy  a  position  near  oui*  fii'st  encampment. 
All  appeared  delighted  to  see  me,  as  I  certainly  was  to 
see  them.  I  saw  Dr.  Johnson,  Fred.  Bachus,  Colonel 
Broadhead  and  Jed.  Emmons,  the  latter  without  his 
seeing  me.  Stepping  up  behind  him,  and  putting  my 
hands  each  side  of  his  head,  I  said:  'Now,  Emmons, 
tell  me  who  it  is?'  'By  George!'  said  he,  'I  can't, 
unless  it  is  Dr.  Gunn,  and  he  is  in  Detroit.'  We  had 
a   good   laugh,    he    never   having   heard   I    had    left 

Detroit.  .  .  .  Dr.  J looks  well  and 

was  Avriting  to  his  wife.     The  major  of  that  regiment 
has  his  wife  with  him. 

"It  is  rumored  that  Mrs.  General  Richardson, 
Mrs.  Colonel  Poe,  and  Mrs.  Lieutenant  Whiting  may 
join  their  husbands  soon.  Should  we  be  ordered 
South,  I  shall  telegraph  you  to  come  on  to  Wash- 
ington. ..... 

"We  have  two  more  men  shot;  one  by  his  own 
carelessness  lost  a  thumb,  the  other  was  shot  in  the 
shoulder  while  out  scouting."         .... 


82  memorial  sketches. 

"Hunter's  Chapel. 

'^ Monday  P.  3L,  Five  O' Clock. — I  am  now  writing 
after  a  somewhat  furious  ride  from  Munson's  Hill, 
in  the  midst  of  a  refreshing  rain  attended  by  thunder 
and  lightning.  For  several  days  the  weather  has 
been  oppressively  hot,  like  our  July  days.  This  rain 
seems  doubly  grateful.  I  mailed  you  a  letter  this 
morning,  and  this  afternoon  on  the  postman's  return 
he  brought  }'our  letter  of  October  fii'st  mailed  on 
the  third.  I  need  not  say  how  thankfully,  aye  eagerly, 
I  ahvays  receive  them.  ...  I  could 

not  accept  a  brigade  surgeoncy  if  I  had  the  oppor- 
tunity, for  then  I  could  not  get  away  for  the  lectures. 
A  brigade  surgeoncy  is  desirable  as  an  easy  post 
of  superintendence  of  four  regiments,  but  of  little 
professional  responsibility.  I  heard  a  surgeon  say  a 
day  or  two  ago,  that,  as  a  rule,  brigade  surgeons  Avere 
made  of  those  unfit  for  the  active  duties  of  a  regimen- 
tal surgeon. 

"Our  brigade  surgeon  is  a  very  gentlemanly,  easy- 
going sort  of  a  doctor,  who  will  not  interfere  with  the 
world  very  greatly.  He  visited  our  regimental  hospi- 
tal the  other  day,  and  said  that  in  keeping  our  records 
we  had  given  him  some  hints  that  he  should  profit  by. 
We  have  not  yet  received  orders  to  move.     I  am  sorry. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  83 

for  this  rain  has   caught  our  men   at   Munson's   Hill 
without  tents." 

"  Tuesday  Evening. — There  is  so  much  to  say  that 
would  amuse  you,  yet  hardly  worth  writing.  One 
speech  of  O'Donnel's,  however,  I  must  repeat.  Speak- 
ing of  some  woman,  he  said,  'I  should  like  to  get  a 
mould  of  her  face  to  run  greyhounds  in ! ' 

"Last  night  between  eight  and  nine  o'clock  it 
rained  furiously.  I  think  I  never  knew  it  to  rain 
harder.  It  continued  through  most  of  the  night.  I 
thought  of  the  exposed  men  on  Munson's  Hill  without 
tents.  It  became  cold  before  morning,  but  the  men 
seem  well  to-day.  We  have  been  under  marching 
orders  for  a  week,  and  are  daily  expecting  to  move 
hence.  General  Richardson  has  not  thought  best  to 
move  the  tents  to  MunSon's  Hill.  It  is  surprising 
how  the  men  stand  the  cold,  but  most  of  them  are  in 
good  spirits.  Tents  last  night  were  almost  inadequate 
to  resist  the  storm. 

"  Mrs.  O'Donnel  has  had  her  things  moved  to  this 
house  (Hunter's),  and  by  the  aid  of  two  or  three  dark- 
ies, things  have  assumed  quite  a  homelike  appearance. 
It  takes  a  woman's  hand  to'  make  a  house  look  right. 
To-night  the  colonel,  chaplain,  t^'o  or  three  captains. 
Lieutenant  O'Donnel  and  his  wife,  and  myself  occupy 


84  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

this  house,  and  while  I  write  all  is  life  and  animation 
here.  I  have  never  relinquished  the  back  parlor ;  Cap- 
tain Trowbridge  occupies  the  front;  O'Donnel  and  wife 
a  room  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hall,  while  the 
colonel  and  chaplain  are  on  the  second  floor.  So,  you 
see,  poor  Mrs.  Hunter's  house  is  quite  lively  to-night. 
"  I  have  been  to  Munson's  Hill  again  to-day — have 
had  the  sick  sent  down  to  the  hospital,  and  conse- 
quently I  shall  remain  here."  .... 

^'Wednesday  Evening. — Camp  Richardson  is  about 
deserted,  tents  all  gone,  except  the  hospital  tent  and 
Dr.  Everett's.  We  shall  probably  march  to-morrow  to 
our  new  camp  below  Alexandria.  In  that  case  Dr. 
Everett  will  remain  here  with  the  patients  until  they 
are  fit  to  be  moved,  protected  by  a  guard  of  six  men. 
I  go  with  the  regiment." 

''''Friday  Evening. — We  are  yet  at  Munson's  Hill. 
You  have  noticed  my  allusions  to  Bailey's  Cross-Roads 

in  former  letters.     I  am  writing  from  his  house.     B 

is  from  the  North,  twenty  years  since;  owns  a  large 
farm,  and  his  house  is  capable  of  holding  one  hundred 
persons.  He  fills  it  every  summer  with  people  from 
Washington,  being  only  six  miles  from  there.  He  has 
been  for  weeks  between  the  two  fires,  a  line  of  our 
pickets  across  his  farm  directly  by  his  barn,  and  a  line 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  85 

of  the  enemy's  twenty  or   tliii*ty  rods  back.     He  and 

c'  »'  •/ 

his  family  stuck  by  this  property,  blew  hot  and  cold  as 
occasion  required,  and  thus  sayed  it!  Yes,  and  made 
money  by  feeding  officers !  His  house  shows  bullet 
holes  from  both  sides. 

"  Well!  here  I  am  to-night  and  hope  to  haye  a  good 
sleep  in  a  bed.  I  came  down  at  eight  o'clock,  and  it  is 
now  nine.  After  a  delicious  bowl  of  bread  and  milk, 
I  sat  out  in  front  listeninor  to  the  band  of  the  regiment 
which  is  stationed  at  the  corner.  This,  like  most 
Virginia  houses,  is  back  something  like  a  thii'd  of  a 
mile  from  the  road,  the  music  at  that  distance  sound- 
ing very  finely. 

"The  eyening  is  mild  and  with  the  moon  shimmer- 
ing through  the  grand  old  trees,  all  seems  charming; 
but  O!  the  deyastations  of  war;  you  can  haye  no  con- 
ception of  its  influence. 

"  Definite  orders  haye  come  to-night  to  march  to- 
morrow morning  at  ten  o'clock.  We  shall  haye  a  hard 
day's  work,  so  I  must  retire  in  order  to  be  ready  for  it. 
I  carry  my  half -written  letter  in  my  pocket,  that  I  may 
add  to  it  the  proceedings  of  the  day,  and  reiterate  the 
old  words  which  are  foreyer  new." 


86  memorial  sketches. 

"Fort  Lyon  below  Alexandria, 
''October  14th,  1861. 

"I  am,  you  see  by  my  date,  writing  from  our  new 
location,  below  Alexandria.  I  am  very  tired  to-night, 
having  had  much  to  do  through  the  day;  the  scattered 
condition  of  the  sick  increases  my  labor  and  responsi- 
bility. To-morrow  I  return  to  move  my  hospital  tent 
and  some  who  are  ill.  I  cannot  write  more  to-night, 
for  I  am  very  tired. 

"A  batid  has  just  struck  up  between  my  tent  and 
the  colonel's.  I  suppose  it  is  a  serenade  to  Colonel 
Terry,  but  I  also  get  the  benefit ;  it  is  fine  and  exhila- 
rating and  almost  takes  the.  pain  out  of  my  feet.  The 
chaplain  looked  in  from  his  tent,  saying,  '  How  can  you 
write?  I  had  to  stop.'  Perhaps  my  soul  is  not  as 
sensitively  attuned  to  music  as  his;  but  whether  it  is 
or  not,  I  should  have  stopped  writing,  had  it  not  been 
for  its  enlivening  effects.  ..... 

"There  is  much  in  camp  life  that  is  attractive  as 
well  as  annoying;  the  music  is  always  good,  and  even 
this  cheerless  tent  might  possibly  seem  tolerable  to 
you.  Loneliness  is  not  one  of  its  concomitants;  some- 
times   one    would    be   almost    willing   to   be   lonely." 

''Tuesday  Evening. — I  have  been  over  to  Wash- 
ington to-day,  but  lost  the  object  of  my  journey. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  87 

Warharn  Brown  sits  by  my  side  and  hands  the  enclosed 
specimen  of  Secession  money,  saying :  *  Present  that  to 
Mrs.  G with  my  compliments.'  Will  T;\T.'ite  to- 
morrow night  if  possible."        ..... 

"Old  Caxp  Eichaedson. 

'^Siindaij  Afternoon. — I  date  thus,  although  all 
that  remains  of  that  camp  is  the  hospital  and  its 
twenty  patients,  nurses,  and  cook.  A  regiment  of 
miserable,  grimy  cavalry  now  occupies  our  old  camp- 
ing ground,  while  the  hospital  and  guard  of  six  soldiers 
alone  remain. 

"Yesterday  morning  we  marched  to  our  new  camp, 
two  miles  below  Alexandria,  where  we  arrived  about 
noon.  By  four  o'clock,  the  camp  was  arranged  and 
looked  like  Camp  Richardson  duplicated.  Some  bag- 
gage had  to  wait  for  a  second  train:  my  tent  was 
among  the  left  baggage.  I  slept  in  an  ambulance. 
with  my  buffalo-robe,  and  was  snug  enough  though 
the  night  was  cold.  I  was  very  ill  through  the  night, 
taken  with  cholera  morbus,  and  was  obliged  to  take 
so  much  morphine  that  I  felt  wretchedly  this  morning. 

Mrs.  O.  D brouo^ht  me  some   toast  and  coffee   to 

the  ambulance,  which  seems  better,  made  by  a  Avoman's 
hand.  ..... 


88  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"About  noon  I  started  for  this  place,  which  is 
distant  from  otir  camp  seven  or  eight  miles.  I  found 
myself  obliged  to  ride  on  a  walk  most  of  the  way,  and 
once  here,  I  concluded  to  stay  for  the  night,  and  send 
Everett  back  there.  He  will  return  here  to-morrow, 
and  I  intend  then  to  go  back  to  camp.  There  is  a 
room  with  a  fire  and  I  shall  be  quite  comfortable. 
Don't  be  frightened.  I  shall  be  all  right  by  to- 
morrow. ..... 

"  Yesterday  as  we  passed  along  the  Leesburg  turn- 
pike from  Bailey's  Cross-Eoads  to  Alexandria,  I  saw 
one  of  the  most  lovely  building  spots  I  ever  beheld. 
In  fact  the  face   of  the   whole   country  is   beautiful." 


CHAPTER    NINTH. 

TAOCTOE  GUNN'S  sympathies  were  easily  aroused. 
^  He  said,  "Any  one  with  the  most  attenuated  milk 
of  human  kindness,  must  commiserate  all,  upon  whom 
the  calamities  of  war  have  fallen." 

"Camp  Buell,  Foet  Lyon, 
''Ocioher  16fJi,  1861. 

"Although  extremely  tired  to-night,  I  will  write 
you  briefly,  that  you  may  not  be  disappointed  in  your 
regular  letter.  Our  marching  orders  were  counter- 
manded this  morning  at  four  o'clock,  to  the  disappoint- 
ment of  the  regiment  as  a  body,  who  were  desirous  of 
having  the  attendant  excitement.  But  all  had  to  sub- 
mit, and  some  had  to  go  to  work  on  fortifications. 

"The  whole  country  where  we  are  is  most  charming 
and  picturesque.  From  one  point  we  can  see  for 
miles  in  all  directions,  overlooking  the  Potomac  in  the 
distance,  Alexandria  and  the  hills  of  Maryland.  Alex- 
andria is   a  stranofe    old    town.        It    not    only  seems 

finished    but   worn    out;    nearly  everything    having  a 

89 


90  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

dilapidated  appearance.  Yet  to  me  it  is  not  without 
interest  as  being  a  town  of  the  old  Colonial  times, 
bearing  even  yet  the  impress  of  ancient  monarchical 
Britain.  The  streets  are  named  after  royalistic  ideas, 
such  as  King,  Queen,  Prince,  Duke,  and  St.  Asaph. 
Many  of  them  have  been  paved,  but  the  pavements  are 
worn  out,  and  are  not  repaired.  The  whole  impress  of 
the  town  is  that  of  something  belonging  to  the  past. 

"The  country  around  is  magnificent,  broken  and 
rolling,  giving  fine  sights  and  extended  views;  but  O! 
how  unhappy  in  being  the  seat  of  war.  You  can  have 
no  realization  of  the  curse,  without  seeing  its  imme- 
diate effects  upon  the  face  of  the  country. 

"I  have  been  very  busy  getting  through  a  vast 
amount  of  work  to-day.  There  are  many  ill;  the 
assistant  surgeon  is  yet  at  the  old  camp.  This  throws 
all  the  labor  here  on  me,  and  it  has  been  very  tiring. 

"To-morrow  evening  I 
will  commence  regular  journalistic  letters  to  be  mailed 
at  the  usual  time."  ..... 

"Hospital,  Old  Camp  Eichardson,  x^elington,  Va. 
'' Fridmj  Noon,  October  18th,  1861. 

"I  did  not  begin  a  letter  last  night  as  usual,  for 
two  or  three  reasons:  First:  instead  of  a  private,  three 
lieutenants  were  sent  to  carry  and  bring  the   mail  to 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  91 

and  fi'om  Washington.  Tlie  result  was  that  they  en- 
gaged in  too  much  private  business  of  their  own,  and 
thereby  lost  the  last  boat.  Consequently  we  lost  our 
mail,  or  rather  the  reception  of  it  last  evening. 
Second :  it  rained  terribly,  and  everything  was  damp  and 
unpleasant.  This,  with  fatigue  and  the  non-reception 
of  a  letter  from  you,  made  me  feel  wi'etchedly  unlike 
wiiting. 

"This  morning,  after  my  hospital  rounds,  I  came  up 
here.  In  coming  through  Alexandria  I  met  the  three 
truant  officers,  with  the  mail.  I  made  them  stop  in  the 
streets,  and  on  a  corner  one  block  from  where  Ellsworth 
and  Jackson  were  shot,  they  opened  the  bag  and  fished 
out  your  letter.  It  was  the  last  one,  and  whether  the 
first  was  in  the  bag  or  not.  I  do  not  yet  know.  I 
waited  only  to  get  the  one,  and  rode  on,  giving  'Cam' 
the  rein,  while  reading  your  words  in  the  public  streets 
of  Alexandria.  ...... 

"In  coming  here  to-day  I  took  a  new  route,  pass- 
ing a  fine  place  whose  owner,  a  woman,  continued  to 
occupy  it.  The  front  yard  contained  a  great  variety  of 
flowers,  among  them  some  beautiful  roses.  A  colored 
girl  whom  I  asked  for  some  of  the  roses  picked  a  bou- 
quet of  them,  and  I  send  you  a  specimen  of  each.   . 

"  I  hope  to  get  the  eight  remaining  patients  here 
transferred   to   general   hospital  to-morrow;    then  my 


92  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

assistant  will  be  with  me  and  lighten  my  labors  not  a 
little.  Neither  you  at  Detroit,  nor  we  here,  can  tell 
what  the  plan  of  the  war  will  be.  Your  information 
there  is  almost  wholly  unreliable;  much  is  absolutely 
manufactured  and  much  is  crude.  Our  means  of  ob- 
taining information  outside  of  this  army  on  the  Poto- 
mac is  no  better  than  yours.  This  much  I  think  is 
pretty  certain,  that  there  will  be  no  more  falling  into 
traps.  Skii'mishers  will  ever  precede  the  advance  of 
the  army  and  the  enemy's  positions  be  ascertained, 
before  any  advance  is  made. 

"  My  time  is  used  up.  I  will  take  this  back  with 
me  and  if  your  other  letter  is  received  I  will  add  to 
this." 

"Camp  at  Fort  Lyon,  Evening. 
"The  second  letter  I  found  here  on  my  return.  I 
have  a  great  deal  of  writing  to  do  connected  with  my 
duties,  which  prevent  me  sometimes  from  writing  you 
long  letters.  My  time  is  wholly  occupied.  I  really 
have  been  too  hard  worked  the  last  week.  I  lost 
another  patient  to-day,  and  you  know  what  an  effect 
that  always  has  on  me."  ..... 


memorial  sketches.  93 

"Fort  Lyon,  Virginia, 
''October  Will,  1861. 

"  We  have  had  another  miserably  wet  day,  and  our 
camp  would  not  present  many  attractions  were  you  to 
look  in  upon  us  to-night.  The  soil,  of  sticky  clay, 
makes  the  muddy  state  of  the  camp  detestable,  but  it 
is  camp  life,  and  we  must  expect  neither  pavements 
without  nor  carpets  within. 

"  I  have  been  to-day  down  to  the  city;  and  to  ascer- 
tain the  location  of  a  certain  office,  I  called  at  the 
Jackson  Hotel,  where  Jackson  shot  Ellsworth!  The 
house  is  used  by  troops  and  the  stair  rail  is  completely 
gone.  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 

"  I  don't  know  how  you  will  like  my  pencilled  let- 
ters, but  writing  on  my  lap  makes  it  the  most  available 
method.  A  quiet  Sunday  leaves  me  but  little  to  com- 
municate. I  suspect,  however,  that  we  shall  not  re- 
main here  much  longer,  for  our  pickets  are  already  ten 
or  twelve  miles  in  advance  of  us.  Mount  Vernon, 
some  six  miles  in  front,  I  have  been  anxious  to  visit, 
but  have  not  yet  been  able  to  do  so. 

"  I  have  just  seen  a  large  collection  of  flowers 
gathered  by  one  of  our  lieutenants,  some  seven  miles 
south  of  this,  consisting  of  roses,  verbenas,  dahlias, 
etc.  Think  of  roses,  the  last  of  October!  I  am  posi- 
tively in  love  with  Virginia;  yet  attractive  as  is  this 


94  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

country  there  are  unpleasing  ofPsets;  insects,  spiders 
especially,  are  numberless.  While  at  Hunter's  Chapel 
and  Munson's  Hill  the  ground  at  night  was  as  starry 
as  the  heavens  with  the  myriads  of  glow-worms,  which 
are  not  noticed  by  day.  Perhaps  blessings  and  curses 
are  about  equally  distributed  everywhere." 

"Fort  Lyon,  Ocfoher  21st,  1861. 

"Your  letter  arrived  to-night  with  its  accustomed 
punctuality,  but  before  I  could  finish  its  perusal  word 

came  that   Lieutenant   Y had   just   had   another 

'spasim,'  and  was  very  bad!  I  felt  like  sending  him 
and  his  '  spasims ' — Avell,  never  mind  where ! 

"  Previous  to  this  interruption,  the  cry  of  fire  had 
been  raised ;  a  tent  came  near  burning.  All  rushed  to 
see  the  cause  of  the  alarm,  but  it  was  insufficient  to 
draw  me  from  your  words,  and  I  read  on. 

"  You  express  anxiety  about  my  health.  I  assure 
you  it  was  never  better  than  it  is  now.  I  was  only  ill 
one  night.  I  slept  in  the  ambulance  from  preference, 
and  there  was  no  one  else  to  sleep  in  it.  It  is  a  better 
and  warmer  bed  than  I  have  in  my  tent.  These  tents 
are  passable  for  summer  but  wretched  things  for  win- 
ter. I  could  get  a  brigade  appointment  at  once,  and 
should  take  it  if  I  could  get  away  after  assuming  its 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  95 

duties.     Xow  I  hope  to  get  a  leave  of  absence;  in  the 
other  case  I  could  not."  ..... 

"  Wednesday  Evening. — Yesterday  was  one  of  those 
unpleasant  rainy  days  and  last  evening  was  so  uncom- 
fortable that  I  did  not  attempt  to  write.  To-night, 
though  windy,  it  is  dry,  and  our  tent  is  comfortable;  I 
say  'oui*,'  for  to-day  I  have  had  the  assistant  surgeon's 
tent  pitched  directly  in  front  of  mine,  close  upon  it, 
serving  for  an  ante-room,  making  a  two-roomed  house 
or  tent.  Mine,  the  inner  appartment,  constitutes  our 
sleeping-room,  while  the  other  serves  as  a  mess  room. 
I  left  the  original  mess  some  time  ago,  for  various 
reasons.  Since  then  it  has  broken  up  and  I  have 
formed  one  with  Dr.  Everett. 

"I  wish  you  could  look  in  upon  us  to-night.  I  have 
built  a  fii'eplace  in  the  fii'st  room,  and  here  we  have  a 
fire.  In  the  rear  apartment,  or  bed  room,  the  floor  is 
thatched  with  evergreen  boughs,  forming  a  green  car- 
pet! On  either  side  are  arranged  the  couches,  while 
between  them,  at  the  head  of  the  room,  is  placed  a  dry- 
goods  box  with  a  cover  on  it,  on  which  are  arranged 
papers,  writing  materials,  candles,  etc.,  thus  giving  it 
quite  a  home-like  appearance.  You  may  wonder  at  the 
pains  taken  to  'fix  up,'  when  at  any  time  we  may  be 
ordered  away,  and  probably  soon  shall  be ;  but  the  true 


96  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

method    is,  to    make  yourself  comfortable  at  once,  if 
you  can,  even  though  you  may  encamp  only  for  three 
days.  ..... 

"  I  got  out  the  forks  and  spoons  to-night  for  the 
first  time.  Dinner  was  ready  about  dark;  after  we  sat 
down,  I  wanted  more  light.  Involuntarily,  I  spoke 
out,  '  Billy,  light  the  gas ! '  This  of  course  raised  a 
shout  from  both  Everett  and  myself." 

'ToKT  Ltox,  South  of  Alexandria, 
"  October  24th,  1861. 

"  I  have  been  to-day  down  to  Acatink  river  with 
Major  Fairbanks;  the  country  is  beautiful.  The  ex- 
treme point  of  our  visit  was  three  miles  below  Mt. 
Yernon.  We  dined  at  a  house  which  Washington  built 
for  a  relative  of  his  family,  Major  Lewis.  The  house 
is  known  as  the  'Lewis  Mansion.'  It  is  a  fine,  old, 
double  brick  structure,  with  wide  hall,  high  ceilings, 
and  handsome  finisli,  located  on  a  high  bank  overlook- 
ing the  Potomac  at  one  point  and  showing  Mt.  Vernon 
in  the  distance,  though  the  house  is  not  visible. 

"The  place  and  grounds  bear  evidence  of  former 
elegance,  but  are  now  much  out  of  repair,  and  unfor- 
tunately in  the  possession  of  a  family  both  pecuniarily 
and  aesthetically  unable  to  keep  them  in  order.  For  any 
one  who  has  a  love  of  the  beautiful,  and  would  have  a 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  97 

care  for  the  house  and  grounds,  this  residence  would 
be  a  treasure.  The  war  over,  I  would  be  the  happiest 
man  in  Virginia  if  I  owned  that  place. 

"A  man  from  Maine  purchased  it  some  twelve 
years  since  for  a  mere  song.  He  paid  only  seven 
thousand  dollars  for  the  mansion  and  four  hundred 
acres  of  land !  The  house  originally  cost  not  less  than 
twelve  or  fifteen  thousand.  When  I  thought  that 
Washington  himself  had  built  the  place,  had  undoubt- 
edly feasted  in  these  rooms,  had  once  owned  all  that 
domain,  I  realized  that  in  addition  to  its  natural  beau- 
ties, it  had  a  charm  that,  once  in  my  possession,  money 
could  not  buy.  I  passed  the  site  of  an  old  mill  owned 
by  Washington  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  fact  it 
was  the  last  point  on  his  vast  estate  that  he  visited. 

"It  is  cold  and  windy  to-night,  and  while  I  am 
writing  to  you,  am  shivering  in  my  half -warmed  tent." 

"Fort  Lyon,  Ocfoher  26th,  1861. 
"Your  extra  letter  in  answer  to  my  extra  from  Old 
Camp  Richardson,  bearing  the  roses,  was  received  this 
evening.  .  .  .  Yesterday   we   had   a 

review  of  the  whole  brigade,  composed  of  twelve  regi- 
ments; it  was  a  good  deal  of  a  bore. 


98  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"This  has  been  a  leisure  day.  I  have  enjoyed  it 
less  than  those  more  actively  employed.  I  think  much 
of  home  and  the  childi'en.  .  .  .  If  I 

come  back  in  the  spring,  I  trust  you  will  come  with 
me.  ...  I  cannot  send  this  letter  off 

till  Monday.     Will  say  good  night  and  finish  to-morrow 
evening." 

^^  Sunday  Evening. — Last  night,  after  saying  good 
night  to  you,  in  came  Colonels  Grosvenor,  Hammond 
and  Crowl,  with  sundry  other  gentlemen  from  adjoin- 
ing regiments.  The  first  three  are  on  the  governor's 
staff  in  Michigan,  and  were  just  from  home.  I  was 
glad  to  see  any  one  from  Michigan,  particularly  so  in 
regard  to  Jerome  Crowl.  It  was  pleasant  and  natural 
to  hear  his  voice,  and  see  his  familiar  form  and  face. 

"To-day  we  made  up  a  pai'ty  for  Mt.  Yernon: 
Governor  Blair,  General  Richardson,  Colonels  Ham- 
mond, Terry,  Grosvenor,  Crowl,  a  couple  of  captains  on 
General  Richardson's  staff,  and  your  humble  corres- 
pondent. We  were  attended  by  an  escort  of  some 
twenty  cavalry.  To  say  we  had  a  pleasant  time,  is 
perhaps  useless.  But  I  was  not  satisfied.  I  did  not 
stay  half  long  enough.  I  was  interested — wanted  to 
see,  linger,  and  ramble  over  the  grounds  more  than  I 
was  then  able  to  do.     I  want  to  go  again,  go  alone. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  99 

and  not  talk  to  any  one,  unless  perhaps  to  yon,  if  yon 
conld  be  with  me ;  otherwise  I  wonld  be  alone. 

"The  place  is  very  beantifnl  bnt  the  buildings  out 
of  repair.  Some  repairs  have  been  made  during  the 
last  year  by  the  Association  of  Ladies.  The  house  is 
large,  with  low  ceilings,  except  in  the  state  dining- 
room,  which  appears  more  like  a  drawing-room  with 
an  ante-room.  Washington's  family  dining-room,  his 
library,  and  sleeping-room  interested  me  most.  The 
arrangement  of  these  was  such,  that  by  a  separate 
entrance  from  the  front  gallery  he  could  pass  by  a 
private  staircase  to  his  sleeping  apartment,  a  pleasant 
room  looking  out  on  the  Potomac;  thence,  to  his 
library.     In  this  last  room  he  died. 

"The  tomb  contains  the  two  sarcophagi  of  Wash- 
ington and  his  wife,  risible  through  the  grated  door. 
Further  on,  is  an  entrance  into  an  inner  chamber, 
where  are  entombed  other  members  of  his  family. 

"Outside- are  seen  four  monuments,  one  erected  to 
the  memory  of  Mrs.  Conrad,  who  died  in  Mississippi, 
at  ih.G  age  of  twenty-seven.  She  was  born  at  "Wood- 
lawn,  the  house  before  described.  Mrs.  Lewis,  her 
mother,  was  a  grand-daughter  of  Mrs.  Washino-ton 
and  an  adopted  daughter  of  Washiugton.  Major  Lewis, 
for  whom  he  built  the  house,  was  a  nephew  of  Wash- 
ington. 


100  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 

"I  cannot  describe  all  I  saw  nor  half  I  should  have 
enjoyed  seeing,  but  that  Yirginians  are  proud  of  tTieir 
state,  with  all  its  interesting  and  venerable  associations, 
is  not  wonderful.  Well  may  it  be  called  'sacred  soil,' 
and  sorrowful  indeed  is  the  day  and  cause  that  made  it 
the  battlefield  of  a  striving  and  divided  brotherhood." 


CHAPTEE    TEI^TH. 

pvOCTOE  GUNN'S  yeneration  for  Washington  re- 
^  calls  an  hour  twenty  years  afterward,  when,  in  the 
H6t«l  des  Inyalides,  we  contemplated  another  tomb, 
round  which  the  interest  of  a  world  centers. 

It  was  not  the  veneration  nor  admiration  he  felt  for 
"Washington  that  enthralled  him  there,  but  an  over- 
whelming magnetic  influence  that  was  communicated 
to  him,  through  the  entire  air,  which  seemed  to  be 
pervaded  with  the  powerful  but  unseen  presence  of 
Napoleon! 

He  writes:  "I  have  been  again  to-day  to  Mt.  Ver- 
non ;  I  looked  over  all  those  interesting  relics ;  trod  the 
paths  which  he  planned;  drew  water  fi*om  his  well  and 
quaffed  the  pure  beverage,  and  finally  looked  once  more 
upon  the  marble  receptacle  which  contains  all  that  is 
left  of  his  mortal  being,  and  bears  the  simple  inscrip- 
tion, 'Washington.' 

"  Among  other  things  I  saw  the  old  modeling  plans 
which  were  used  in  the  construction  of  Woodlawn.  I 
obtained  a  leaf  fi'om  a  magnolia  planted  by  Washing- 

101 


102  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

ton  himself,  which  I  enclose  and  wish  you  would  care- 
fully  preseiwe.  I  was  fortunate  in  procuring  this  one, 
for  if  permission  were  given  to  pluck  them,  the  tree 
would  soon  be  dismantled." 

"FoET  Lyon,  Alexandria, 
^^Novemher  Isf,  1861. 

"I  should  have  received  your  letter  Thursday,  but 
there  was  no  mail  messenger  sent  to  Washington,  every 
man  of  the  regiment  being  required  to  be  present  to  be 
mustered  for  pay.     I  had  a  letter  fi'om  my  mother  and 

Glynn  yesterday;  G 's  was  remarkable  for  brevity. 

I  received  the  medical  journals  in  due 
course  of  mail.  Let  them  accumulate  in  my  postoffice 
drawer  until  January.  After  you  leave,  direct  that 
letters  may  be  sent  on  to  me  at  Washington. 

"I  am  glad  my  descriptive  letter  of  our  respective 
rooms  interested  you  as  it  did.  Cold  weather  is  upon 
us:  i.  e..  all  nio^hts  and  some  davs  are  cold.  The  leaves 
are  beginning  to  turn  and  the  woods  to  assume  that 
richness  which  comes  to  us  a  month  earlier.  This  has 
inaugui'ated  the  necessity  of  inventing  something  to 
warm  our  tents.  Consequently  we  commenced  the  fire- 
places described  so  glowingly.  The  first  day's  trial 
was  grand,  as  I  told  you.  that  day  being  breezy,  but 
the  next  morning  was  still,  and  when  the  boy  built  the 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  103 

fire,  it  literally  smoked  us,  not  only  out  of  oiu*  beds,  but 
out  of  the  tent,  rubbing  oui'  eyes  and  weeping  vigor- 
ously. Then  followed  a"  series  of  experiments  to  im- 
prove on  our  first.  All  failed!  Then  another  attempt 
at  a  fireplace.  It  also  was  a  failure.  Finally,  the 
third  was  a  success!  This  consumed  all  the  time  until 
three  days  since.  But  although  we  succeeded  in  build- 
ing a  fireplace  that  woidd  }wf  smoke,  it  did  not  warm 
us,  neither  could  we  cook:  another  fire  out  of  doors  was 
requii'ed  for  this.  To-day  I  have  been  to  Alexandria 
and  purchased  a  sheet-iron  cook-stove;  a  small  light 
affair  with  good  oven,  and  sundry  pieces  of  stove  furni- 
ture; stove,  pipe  and  all  can  be  picked  up  and  carried 
with  one  hand. 

"  This  is  now  roarino*  in  our  first  room,  and  I  am 
sitting  at  the  edge  of  the  second,  comfortably  writing 
to  you.  ...         I  feel  quite  elated  with  it ; 

the  pipe  goes  through  a  hole  in  the  top  of  the  tent, 
wherein  is  sewed  a  tin  collar.  One  of  voiu'  darnino'- 
needles  (with  an  expert  at  one  end  i  did  the  sewing  I 

"  To-day,  when  returning  fi'om  Alexandria.  I  rode 
up  on  a  sightly  eminence,  fi'om  which  the  view  was 
delightful.  Seven  or  eight  miles  of  the  Potomac  can 
be  seen;  at  your  feet  Hunting  Creek,  a  broad  bayou  of 
the  Potomac.  Just  beyond  is  Alexandria,  while  in  the 
distance,  six  miles  further  up.  in  plain  sight,  lies  the 


104  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

City  of  Wasliington.  As  I  drew  rein  there  on  this  first 
day  of  November,  1861,  I  made  a  prayer,  foolish  per- 
haps, that  I  might  be  permitted  some  day  to  plant  a 
home  on  that  spot. 

'"'•  Sunday  Afternoon. — Jnst  as  I  closed  the  above 
(Friday  evening)  it  began  to  rain  and  soon  increased  to 
a  terrible  storm;  tents  blew  dowTi,  exposing  the  inmates 
to  a  pitiless  tempest.  I  slept  delightfully  through  it 
all,  though  everything  inside,  including  the  covering 
over  me,  was  wet  the  next  morning.  The  rain  poured 
in  torrents  all  through  the  day  (Saturday),  obliging 
nearly  everybody  in  camp  to  put  up  with  cold  fare,  no 
cooking  being  possible  outside.  Then  my  luck  was 
apparent  in  getting  my  stove  up  in  the  nick  of  time, 
for  I  had  a  warm  breakfast,  and  the  nicest  dinner  I 
have  had  since  coming  into  camp. 

"  On  through  the  day  until  dark,  the  rain  continued 
to  pour  and  the  wind  to  blow.  Everything  was  piteous- 
\j  distressing;  the  camp  was  a  mud-hole,  the  tents 
dripping,  men  were  wet  and  cold,  and  yet  there  was 
little  discontent.  Everybody  laughed ;  now  and  then  a 
noisy  shout  announced  another  tent  blown  down,  its 
inmates  struggling  under  the  wet  canvas,  from  which 
they  crawled  forth  to  re-erect  their  flimsy  cloth  cover- 
ing, fit  only  for  paper-rags.     The  storm  raged,  no  mes- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  105 

senger  was  sent  to  the  city  for  the  mail;  consequently 
your  extra  letter  was  not  receiyed  until  to-day."    . 

"Fort  Lyon,  November  4fh,  1861. 

"  For  the  first  time  I  am  disappointed  by  a  Mon- 
day's or  Thursday's  mail  without  a  letter  from  you.  It 
must  be  the  fault  of  Uncle  Sam,  and  not  your  own. 
You  cannot  imagine  how  great  a  comfort  your  letters 
are  to  me  in  camp.  .  .  .  .  . 

"  We  were  literally  in  a  mud-hole  after  the  storm 
and  one  day  afterward.  Our  camp  presented  a  dilapi- 
dated appearance;  not  a  step  could  be  taken  unless 
through  the  mud ;  but  these  discomforts  are  met  philo- 
sophically." ..... 

"  Camp  Union,  Fort  Lyon,  near  Alexandria, 
"  November  13th,  1861. 
"  Get  some  reliable  person  or  family 
(if  you  can)   to  take  charge  of  the  house  and  keep 
'Maud.'^     If  not,  you  must  take  her  with  you. 

"I  last  wrote  you  from  Washington.  Whenever  I 
am  there  through  the  week  my  time  is  wholly  taken  up 
with  business,  and  I  have  never  yet  been  able  to  see 
any  of  the  interesting  things  there.  I  returned  on 
Monday  evening  and  found  that  the  '  cullud  pusson ' 

^  A  pet  greyhound. 


106  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

who  does  us  tlie  honor  of  cooking  for  us,  had  obtained 
a  leave  of  absence.  So,  cooking  my  own  chocolate,  I 
went  to  bed  too  tired  to  write  yon  anything  last  night. 

"  It  was  ten  o'clock  when  I  retired.  At  twelve,  I 
was  aroused  by  an  order  to  be  ready  for  marching  at 
three !  The  brigade  surgeon  was  in  Washington.  As 
the  whole  division  was  to  move,  I  was  obliged  to  act 
as  brigade  surgeon.  I  sent  for  the  hospital  cook,  to 
make  coffee  for  us;  then  I  started  out  to  see  which  of 
the  medical  officers  of  the  brigade  were  present,  and 
to  determine  who  should  be  sent  into  the  field,  and  who 
should  remain  behind  with  the  four  hospitals. 

"  By  four  o'clock  we  were  in  motion,  and  for  the 
first  time  I  was  moving  with  a  large  army;  the  whole 
division  moving  on  to  our  destination,  which  was  Po- 
hick  church,  twelve  miles  distant,  as  that  point  had 
been  discovered  to  be  occupied  by  the  enemy,  the  day 
previous  (Monday),  the  object  of  the  expedition  being 
to  dislodge  them.  The  division  moved  by  two  routes.  A 
portion  of  our  force  was  detached  about  four*miles  this 
side  of  the  church  to  take  a  side  route  and  attack  on 
the  flank,  while  we  advanced  in  front. 

"  We  (to  make  a  short  story  of  what  to  us  was  a 
slow  and  cautious  movement)  arrived  at  the  church  at 
eight  o'clock  and  found  that  the  enemy  had  '  vamosed 
the  ranch.'     Scouts  were  then  sent  out  in  every  direc- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  107 

tion,  to  find  any  trace  of  them.  The  Fifth  were  ordered 
to  advance  on  the  road  to  Ocoquan,  a  small  village 
where  the  enemy's  pickets  had  been  stationed  up  to 
about  an  hour  before  we  arrived.  They  had  been 
withdrawn  on  our  approach.  This  advance  was  made 
by  keeping  our  scouts  ahead,  and  to  both  the  right  and 
left.  My  curiosity  led  me  to  go  with  the  scouts  a  por- 
tion of  the  time.  I  was  with  the  captain  of  a  battery, 
a  'regular,'  and  we  reached  the  deserted  picket  in 
advance  of  all  except  a  party  under  one  of  our  lieu- 
tenants which  reached  them  by  flank  movement,  just 
ahead  of  us. 

"  Before  the  regiment  and  battery  came  up  Captain 
Thompson  proposed  that  he  and  I  should  ride  on 
toward  the  village;  but  seeing  nothing  of  interest, 
returned,  though,  had  we  seen  the  enemy,  we  probably 
should  have  returned  rather  sooner.  The  captain  pro- 
posed the  trip,  I  think,  merely  to  see  if  I  would  go,  for 
regulars  are  inclined  to  test  volunteers  when  they  get 
a  chance. 

"  On  our  return,  just  before  coming  to  the  place 
where  we  left  the  scouts  and  where  the  regiment  and 
battery  had  arrived,  our  horses  took  it  into  their  heads 
to  have  a  little  run ;  we  indulged  their  whim,  and  came 
in  at  the  top  of  a  break-neck  run.  As  we  came  tearing 
in,   several   soldiers  sprang  from  the  ground    (where 


108  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

they  were  resting),  and  seized  their  guns,  supposing 
we  were  flying  from  pursuers.  This  advance  was  very 
unmilitary,  as  my  place  is  properly  in  the  rear,  but  I 
had  taken  advantage  of  my  temporary  brigadier-ship 
to  do  more  as  I  pleased.  Well,  after  '  marching  up  the 
hill  we  marched  down  again.' 

"  Fording  a  river  on  our  return,  about  a  mile  from 
the  deserted  picket-post,  'Cam'  slipped  into  a  deep 
hole,  and  fell  flat  on  his  side,  landing  me  fairly  in 
the  water!  Rather  an  inglorious  ending,  I  thought, 
while  wading  about  to  regain  my  cap  and  horse.  This 
feat  accomplished,  I  again  mounted,  having  fourteen 
miles  between  me  and  dry  clothes!  Arriving  at  Pohick 
church,  where  we  found  all  the  other  skirmishing  regi- 
ments, the  order  was  issued  to  move  the  column  on  the 
return.  After  getting  the  ambulances  and  hospital 
transports  in  line  in  their  proper  place,  I  put  spurs  to 
my  horse  and  made  good  time  in  pursuit  of  dry  clothes. 
I  arrived  two  hours  before  the  column,  and  when  back 
had  been  fourteen  consecutive  hours  in  the  saddle, 
while  poor  '  Cam '  had  hardly  had  time  to  lunch  on  two 
quarts  of  oats. 

"Now  you  know  why  I  did  not  write  last  night. 
After  a  busy  day,  then  fourteen  hours  in  the  saddle  on 
Tuesday,  I  was  not  in  a  writing  mood.  Now,  although 
I  have  spun  out  a  long  account  about  myself,  I  am 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  109 

going  to  tell  you  of  something  far  more  interesting 
to  me. 

"  Pohick  church  is  one  of  the  churches  in  Fairfax 
county  which  Washington  contributed  largely  to  build, 
and  of  which  he  was  a  vestryman.  This  church  is  a 
square  brick  structure  without  spire  or  tower.  It  was 
finished  very  finely  for  those  times — that  is,  the  pulpit 
and  altar.  The  pulpit  is  on  the  side,  while  the  altar  is 
in  the  east  end.  Both  are  richly  carved  and  decorated. 
The  church  must  have  been  handsome.  The  pulpit 
has  a  sounding-board,  and  under  it  is  the  little  box  of 
a  desk  for  the  clerk,  just  as  we  see  it  represented  in 
pictures  of  old  English  churches.  The  floors  are  of 
flagstones,  such  as  we  use  for  sidewalks,  but  sadly  out 
of  repair.  The  pews  are  the  ancient  square,  high- 
backed  boxes  of  the  olden  time.  The  church  has  been 
badly  mutilated  by  having  the  carving  and  decorations 
broken  off.  The  pulpit  is  supported  on  a  hexagonal 
column ;  it  is  of  Norway  pine  and  very  quaint.  I  was 
anxious  to  possess  myself  of  some  relic,  and  must  con- 
fess to  a  strong  inclination  towards  vandalism. 

"We  all  felt  angry  that  we  did  not  have  a  brush, 
instead  of  a  march  and  counter-march.     Good  night! 

I  am  at  the  bottom  of  my  sheet 
and  must  close.  .  .  .  .  '        . 


110  memorial  sketches. 

"Camp  Union,  Foet  Lyon,  Va., 
''November  27th,  1861. 

"  Last  evening  I  wrote  and  directed  to  Cincinnati, 
and  yon  will  probably  find  the  letter  there  on  your 
arrival.  I  have  always  expected  to  return  on  the  first 
of  January,  unless  we  were  ordered  into  active  field 
service.  Now,  as  the  prospect  is  that  we  shall  not  be 
so  ordered,  it  will  not  be  long  before  I  join  you  in 
Detroit. 

"  So  you  really  feel  afraid  I  may  have  spoiled  my 
coat  in  that  unfortunate  ducking  ?  That  would  indeed 
be  a  pity  compared  to  the  loss  of  my  neck!  To  relieve 
you  on  that  point,  the  old  grey  was  worn  on  that 
memorable  occasion,  for  the  double  purpose  of  pre- 
serving the  blue,  and  at  the  same  time  being  somewhat 
disguised  in  case  we  had  a  skirmish,  for  the  old  grey 
would  not  be  so  attractive  a  mark  to  sharp-shooters  as 
a  bright  uniform.  You  may  have  noticed  that  these 
Southern  gentlemen  pick  off  officers  with  most  admir- 
able discernment.  The  green  sash,  which  has  to  be 
worn  to  distinguish  one  as  a  surgeon,  suffered  some 
from  the  baptism.     Now  are  we  quits  ?  " 

"  Fort  Lyon,  Ya.,  December  4th,  1861. 
"  If  you  have  again  postponed  your  journey,  you 
will  have  a  large  batch  of  letters  waiting  your  arrival. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  Ill 

Your  information  of  John  Bagley's  testimony  in  my 
behalf  gave  me  great  pleasure.  I  saw  very  little  of 
Mr.  Bagley  when  he  was  here,  and  was  not  prepared 
to  have  him  speak  so  warmly  in  my  favor.  I  have, 
however,  conscientiously  tried  to  discharge  my  duties 
in  the  somewhat  difficult  part  which  I  have  had  to  fill, 
and  am  glad  to  know  that  my  efforts  have  been  appre- 
ciated. I  have  seen  a  '  Tribune '  of  the  29th  ult. ,  in 
which  appears  a  letter  from  'Peter  Smith,'  giving  me 
the  same  credit  that  Bagley  did,  and  I  judge  that 
Bagley  must  be  the  author. 

"  I  will  mention  one  fact  to  you  by  way  of  illustra- 
tion: On  Monday  last,  about  three  p.  m.,  a  messenger 
came  over  from  Washington  with  a  note  from  a  Mr. 
Bussell,  a  clerk  in  the  'Interior,'  begging  me  to  come 
and  see  his  brother,  whom  he  had  removed  from  the 
hospital  here,  with  my  consent,  to  more  comfortable 
quarters  in  Washington.  The  young  man  was  danger- 
ously ill,  and  he  told  the  messenger  not  to  return  with- 
out me.  I  obeyed  the  call,  getting  leave  of  absence 
until  the  next  evening,  thinking  I  would  visit  Dr. 
Johnson  and  also  the  capitol  (Congress  being  in  ses- 
sion). Well,  that  night  the  patient  died.  The  next 
morning  I  began  thinking  of  matters  here  in  camp, 
and  instead  of  going  on  my  recreation  trip,  I  set  my 
horse  toward  camp  and  made  good  time  in  my  home- 


112  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

ward  progress.  I  found  all  going  on  smoothly,  but 
my  anxiety  about  the  hospital  had  cheated  me  out  of  a 
day's  enjoyment."  ..... 

Camp  Union,  Foet  Lyon,  Va., 
''December  8th,  1861. 

"It  is  a  most  glorious  Sunday.  I  am  sitting  in  my 
tent  without  vest,  in  my  dressing-gown,  and  without 
fire.  For  three  days  past  the  weather  has  been  beauti- 
ful, and  I  can  hardly  realize  that  there  is  sleighing  in 
Michigan.  The  climate  at  this  season  is  delightful. 
We  have  had  some  cold  days,  but  have  seen  snow  but 
twice,  and  then  in  small  quantity.  The  rain  has  been 
considerable,  but  to  any  one  living  in  a  house,  that 
would  be  nothing.  If  you  were  here  to-day  we  would 
have  a  delightful  gallop  across  the  country.  I  think 
so  many  times,  on  my  trips  to  and  frord  Alexandria, 
how  much  I  should  like  this. 

"An  interesting  piece  of  news  is  that  Mrs.  Fair- 
banks sent  to  her  husband,  the  major,  a  full  Thanks- 
giving dinner,  everything  desirable  in  the  way  of  a 
delicious  repast.        .  .  .  .        The  prospect 

now  is  that  we  shall  go  into  winter  quarters.  I  should 
not  be  anxious  only  on  account  of  the  university.    . 

"I  have  a  new  cook;  and  as  new  brooms  sweep 
clean,   all  goes  off  nicely.     He  seems  neat,  and  can 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  -  113 

cook.  Two  fiiends  are  to  dine  with  me,  and  I  will  give 
you  our  menu!  Boiled  turkey  with  oyster  sauce;  I  pass 
over  vegetables,  to  an  excellent  apple  pie,  which  the 
pastry  woman  in  Alexandria  made  for  us ;  after  dinner 
coffee.  ..... 

.  ''^Evening. — We  had  at  dinner,  Mr.  Morley  and  Mr. 
Lacey  of  Detroit.  Mr.  Lacey  told  me  he  saw  you  on 
the  cars  when  he  started  from  Detroit;  he  came  as  far 
as  Toledo  on  the  same  car  with  you.  So  you  see  I 
have  later  news  than  any  letter  from  you.  This  even- 
ing we  have  had  a  capital  gallop  over  the  hills  and 
through  the  valleys — Colonel  Poe,  Captain  Newell, 
Dr.  Lyster,  Lieutenant  Draper,  myself  and  others. 
Aside  from  being  away  from  my  family  I  have  never 
enjoyed  three  months  more  than  I  have  the  three  I 
have  been  in  the  army."  ..... 

"Camp  Michigan, 
^''Sunday  Evening,  December  lofh,  1861. 

"You  speak  of  the  weather.  Here  it  has  been  per- 
fectly delightful.  Our  new  camp,  to  which  I  alluded 
in  my  last,  is  one  of  the  finest  spots  you  can  imagine. 
From  the  front  of  my  tent  I  can  look  out  upon  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  valleys  the  sun  ever  shone  upon. 
Beyond  is  the  Potomac,  seen  between  Mt.  Vernon  and 


114  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

Dogue  Point,   while   the  tent  is   embowered  by  ever- 
greens. 

"The  hospital  tents  are  on  the  same  prominence 
and  are  alike  embowered.  From  just  back  of  mine,  you 
see  a  ravine,  and  on  the  opposite  slope  you  see  the  tops 
of  the  conical  tents  of  Companies  B  and  G  rising  up 
among  the  trees,  producing  a  most  picturesque  effect. 
You  can  hardly  imagine  how  pleasing  to  the  eye  is  this 
intermingling  of  the  new  white  tents  and  evergreens. 

"I  have  sent  in  my  application  for  leave  of  absence. 
When  Colonel  Terry  signed  the  application,  he  said  he 
hated  to  spare  me  (all  the  officers  apparently  feel  in 
the  same  way,  although  there  may  be  some  exceptions 
among  the  men).  It  is  extremely  difficult  to  do  one's 
duty  and  please  all.  There  are  a  great  number  of 
shirks  in  a  regiment,  w^ho  feign  sickness,  to  get  rid  of 
duty;  these  I  must  detect  and  repoii:  back  for  duty. 
Men,  too,  are  such  consummate  fools  about  taking 
medicine.  I  have  been  applied  to  by  men  with  pick- 
axe in  hand  or  axe  on  shoulder,  for  medicine.  When 
it  is  refused  and  they  are  sent  back  to  duty,  the  chances 
are,  they  will  be  angry.  It  requires  a  little  knowledge 
of  human  nature,  at  least,  to  get  along  smoothly." 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  115 

"Ca3IP  Michigan,  December  22d.  1861. 
"My  leave  of  absence  has  been  granted,  but  only 
for  three  weeks,  the  same  time  that  was  oriyen  to  Ham- 
ilton.  My  time  is  so  limited  I  cannot  join  you  in 
Cincinnati  or  any  other  place  than  Detroit.  Thui'sday, 
the  second  of  January,  I  must  beo^in  lectiirino:.  I  shall 
work  hard  and  late  in  Ann  Arbor.  I  hope  to  get  a 
couple  of  weeks  added  to  my  leave.  TTe  have  had 
brilliant  weather  for  the  last  two  weeks,  but  it  is  now 
cold  and  beginning  to  rain.  Only  ten  days  more,  God 
willing,  and  I  shall  join  you."  .... 


CHAPTEE  ELEYEI^TH. 

TT7HEN  Doctor  Gunn's  quota  of  lectures  had  been 
*  ^  crowded  iuto  the  space  of  three  weeks,  he 
returned  to  the  army,  taking  his  eldest  son,  a  boy  of 
twelve,  with  him  into  the  field.  Later,  I  joined  them 
in  camp  at  their  quarters  below  Alexandria.  The  gal-* 
lops  my  husband  had  wished  for  in  the  Autumn,  were 
now  realized.  Dr.  Everett's  horse  was  placed  at  his 
disposal,  while  I  rode  "  Cam,"  and  though  I  had  little 
confidence  in  the  doctor's  horse,  managed  to  ride  him 
with  sufficient  courage  to  enable  me,  when  mounted,  to 
enjoy  the  delightful  and  picturesque  views  the  doctor 
had  so  often  and  so  glowingly  described.  This  novel 
life  was  of  short  dui'ation ;  a  brief  two  weeks  only  were 
we  together  domiciled  in  a  tent,  when  orders  came  to 
march  the  regiments  to  Alexandria  for  transportation. 

It  was  in  the  early  spring  of  1862,  that  I  saw  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  embarked  on  transports  of  every 
description,  loaded  to  the  water's  edge  with  their  human 
freight.  Amidst  that  throng  of  troops,  my  thoughts 
were  concentrated  upon  two,  though  my  mind  included 

116 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  117 

the  entire  army  that,   alike  uncertain  of  its  destiny, 
steamed  down  the  broad  Potomac. 

Alexandria  was  now  more  desolate  than  ever.  In  a 
few  days  I  went  to  "Washington,  where  for  months  I 
was  surrounded  by  those  who  appeared  to  be  antago- 
nistic to  General  McClellan  and  his  management.  Some 
of  these  unfavorable  criticisms  were  allowed  to  be 
reflected  in  my  questioning  letters  to  the  doctor,  which 
naturally  called  out  from  him  spirited  and  character- 
istic replies. 


"At  an  Old  Eebel  Camp,    , 
"  Three  Miles  from  Yorktown, 
"  Wednesday  Evenifig,  April  10th,  1862. 

"I  am  now,  since  Mr.  C left  Camp  Heintzel- 

man,  in  a  condition  to  write.  Last  Friday  morning  we 
marched  for  Yorktown ;  the  whole  army  moved  at  differ- 
ent hours  and  by  different  routes,  arriving  in  front  of 
Yorktown  on  Saturday  amid  brisk  and  heavy  cannon- 
ading, which  was  opened  by  the  foremost  batteries,  and 
returned  by  the  rebels  from  behind  their  entrench- 
ments. The  latter  are  thoroughly  entrenched.  We 
have  heavy  work  before  us.  Heavy  siege  gums  have 
been  brought  up,  and  soon  the  work  will  commence  in 
earnest. 


118  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"  It  has  rained  constantly  since  Monday,  and  the 
weather  has  been  cold  even  for  Detroit  at  this  time  of 
year.  Vegetation  is  much  more  advanced,  peach-blos- 
soms are  fully  out,  but  I  have  suffered  more  from  cold 
than  at  any  other  time  during  the  winter.  I  was 
ordered  to  establish  a  hospital  in  a  house  just  in  rear 
of  our  encampment,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the 
enemy's  entrenchments.  I  had  just  accomplished  this 
when  orders  came  to  vacate  because  it  was  too  much 
exposed. 

"An  old  chui'ch  half  a  mile  in  the  rear  was  then 
selected.  This  I  occupied  but  one  day,  as  the  surgeons 
concluded  to  get  the  several  hospitals  of  our  brigade 
together;  and  for  this  purpose  we  selected  this  Confed- 
erate camp,  which  was  deserted  when  our  forces  began 
to  accumulate  at  the  point.  They  had  no  tents,  but 
had  made  for  themselves  comfortable  log-cabins.  Of 
these  we  have  taken  possession,  and  they  make  us  very 
capital  wards. 

"If,  after  the  coming  engagement  is  over,  the 
wounded  are  sent  back  to  Fortress  Monroe,  I  may  be 
sent  there  to  take  charge  of  the  surgical  wards.  This 
I  would  like  for  several  reasons:  first,  the  hospital  is  a 
large  and  fine  one,  situated  right  on  the  shore  of  Hamp- 
ton Roads;  second,  the  service  would  suit  me:  and 
third,  you  could  be  with  me."  .... 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  119 

"  Before  Yorktown,  April  18fh,  1862. 

"To-day  is  received  by  Mr.  C the  letter  which 

jou  wrote  from  Baltimore.     He  informs  me  that  D 

told  him  your  saddle  was  not  brought  to  the  boat; 
there  has  been  some  mistake,  and  yon  probably  will 
have  to  go  over  to  Alexandria  to  rectify  it. 

"  I  was  aronsed  last  night  by  mnsketry  and  heavy 
cannonading  in  the  direction  of  oni'  camp.  Thinking 
our  brigade  might  be  in  an  engagement,  we  saddled 
and  with  our  traps  rode  up  to  camp.  We  found  all 
quiet,  the  skirmish  being  further  to  the  left.  There  I 
found  your  letter  and  read  it,  in  place  of  ministering  to 
the  wounded  as  at  first  I  expected  to  do. 

"  I  am  in  haste  and  can  only  write  you  briefly. 

I  am  well,  though  I  was  very  lame 
and  bruised  for  a  couple  of  weeks  fi-om  the  accident 
which  you  have  since  heard  about,  but  which  I  did  not 
intend  to  disturb  you  by  telling  at  the  time.  It  was  a 
narrow  escape,  but,  thank  a  good  God.  I  was  spared." 

"  Before  Yorktown,  Api-il  20ih,  1862. 
"  To-day  is  Sunday,  and  my  birthday.     I  will  not 
tell  you  how  old  I  am,  for  you  are  not  fond  of  statistics. 

I  doubt  my  going  back  to  Old 
Point;  in  fact,  if  we  carry  Yorktown  and  advance  on 


120  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

Richmond,  I  shall  desire  to  go  with  the  army,  though 
taking  charge  of  the  hospital  would  be  easier  and  more 
agreeable. 

"  We  have  been  before  Yorktown  two  weeks.  Prob- 
ably it  seems  to  you  we  have  been  dilatory,  but  I  assure 
you  it  is  far  otherwise,  when  one  sees  the  amount  of 
work  already  accomplished.  We  found  the  enemy 
fortified  and  as  numerous  as  ourselves.  Our  respective 
lines  are  eight  miles  long;  they,  behind  strong  en- 
trenchments. Roads  had  to  be  cut  from  Ship  Point  to 
Cheesman's  Creek  landing,  six  miles  below,  to  bring  up 
provisions  and  forage,  and  also  the  heavy  siege  guns 
we  find  to  be  necessary  to  carry  the  works  of  the 
enemy's  batteries.  The  traverses  for  these  guns  had  to 
be  constructed,  and  principally  in  the  night.  Twenty 
miles  of  road  have  been  made  since  we  have  been  here, 
and  the  amount  of  work  necessary  to  be  done  to  build 
one  of  these  batteries  is  enormous.  We  are  now  nearly 
ready  to  begin  an  assault,  but  the  siege  must  be  some- 
what protracted.  McClellan  will,  however,  triumph; 
his  plans  must  be  successful,  and  then  this  will  virtually 
settle  the  question. 

"God  bless  'Old  Abe'  for  standing  by  and  sup- 
porting McClellan  when  so  many  others  at  Washington 
are  trying  to  slaughter  him.  To  cripple  General  Mc- 
Clellan now,  would  be  to  protract  the  war.     Don't  talk 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  121 

politics  with  any  one,  but  trust  in  McClellan,  Lincoln, 
and  a  good  God.  We  have  generals  all  over  the  coun- 
try, fighting  well  and  truly  (I  would  not  detract  one 
iota  from  the  merits  of  any),  but  the  campaigns  have 
all  been  conducted  on  the  general  plan  of  General 
McClellan.  Lincoln  stands  by  him,  and  in  spite  of 
some  wretched  politicians,  has  given  him  a  true  sup- 
port."   

.  "Befoee  Yoektown, 
^^  Sunday  Evening,  April  22d,  1862. 

"  I  have  been  unfortunately  situated  since  coming 
here  about  writing;  during  the  two  weeks  we  have 
been  here  I  have  organized  and  assisted  in  organizing 
three  different  hospitals,  and  have  moved  as  many 
times.     Much  of  the  time  has  been  wet  and  cold. 

"Our  supply  of  stationery  is  about  played  out! 
We  have  one  pen  left.  I  am  reduced  to  foolscap,  and 
as  you  Avill  see  from  the  variety  of  the  envelopes  I 
have  used,  that,  like  the  others,  I  beg,  borrow,  and 
steal.  Don't  be  alarmed  for  my  morals;  we  all  inter- 
change this  dishonesty,  then  laugh  about  it. 

"  You  allude  in  your  letter  to  McClellan' s  delay, 
and  say  that  Manassas  could  have  been  taken  last 
Autumn.  I  know  better!  I  know  what  the  army  was 
last  Fall,  and  I  know  that,  had  the  attempt  been  made. 


122  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

it  probably  would  have  ended  in  another  Bull  Run; 
but  if  successful,  it  would  have  been  so  at  the  expense 
of  ten  thousand  lives!  McClellan's  plan  was  from 
the  very  first  to  push  the  campaign  as  fast  as  the  dis- 
ciplining of  the  troops  would  permit  in  the  West,  and 
by  tui'ning  the  enemy's  flank,  then  compel  the  evacua- 
tion of  Manassas,  without  the  loss  of  a  life.  The 
history  of  the  Spring  has  proved  the  sagacity  of  the 
plan.  The  western  flank  is  turned,  and  the  advantages 
there  gained  are  being  pushed,  while  Manassas  is  evac- 
uated to  fall  back  upon  the  Rappahannock,  and  form 
there  another  line.  McClellan  then  moves  behind 
them  upon  the  Peninsula  and  they  are  obliged  to  fall 
further  back  upon  Yorktown  and  there  concentrate 
their  forces. 

"  Before  McClellan  left  Washington  it  was  well 
understood  that  McDowell  and  Banks  with  their  corps 
(V  armee  were  to  advance  overland  and  occupy  Glou- 
cester Point  opposite  Yorktown,  thus  making  capture 
of  the  latter  place  and  bagging  the  whole  rebel  force, 
almost  a  certainty.  But  after  McClellan  left,  political 
influence  detached  McDowell  and  Banks  at  Gloucester. 
Hero-like,  McClellan,  while  he  demanded  from  the  war 
department  forty  thousand  men  more,  set  about  mak- 
ing roads,  dragging  up  heavy  siege  guns,  and  will  in 
good  time  carry  Yorktown;  not  by  hurling  thousands 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  123 

upon  thousands  of  human  lives  upon  their  works,  but 
by  a  stratagem,  that  will  save  thousands  of  our  soldiers' 
lives. 

"Fortunately,  'Old  Abe*  is  not  so  corrupt  as  some 
of  his  advisers,  and  while  they  voted  against  giving 
McClellan  the  additional  forty  thousand,  he  stated  to 
them  that  McClellan  should  have  the  men!  Torktown 
will  fall!  and  with  it  will  crumble  the  last  hope  of  the 
rebels.  Listen  not  to  the  quacks  who  criticise  things 
as  far  above  their  comprehension  as  holiness  is  above 
the  capacity  of  the  devil! 

"Lieutenant  T did  not  understand  what  I  said 

about  going  to  Fort  Moni'oe.  Sui'geon  Cuyler,  the 
medical  director  of  the  military  district  in  which  the 
Fortress  is  situated,  solicited  me  to  take  charge  of  the 
surgical  wards  of  a  large  hospital  which  was  being 
organized  there.  He  said  he  had  selected  a  good  phy- 
sician, and  he  wanted  a  competent  surgeon.  I  had  had 
no  previous  accquaintance  with  him,  but  when  inti'o- 
duced,  he  immediately  recognized  me  as  the  Professor 
of  Sui'gery  in  the  L^niversity  of  Michigan,  and  at  our 
second  meeting  proposed  this  plan  to  me.  Dr.  Cuyler 
made  application  to  Dr.  Tripler  for  the  transfer.   Dr. 

T ■  told  him  if  the  hospital  in  question  was  made 

the  depot  for  surgical  cases  he  would  effect  the  trans- 
fer.    So  the  matter  rests. 


124  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"If  Yorktown  falls,  I  would  about  as  soon  go  on  to 
Richmond,  as  to  go  back  to  Fort  Monroe,  although  the 
surgeoncy  of  a  large  army  hospital  is  a  responsible  and 
honorable  post  and  one  that  any  surgeon  in  the  army 
would  be  glad  to  have  offered  to  him.  I  shall  accept, 
if  it  is  again  offered,  but  shall  not  seek  it.  The  annoy- 
ances I  have  suffered  have  been  of  a  minor  nature, 
and  from  a  minor  source ;  still  they  were  annoyances. 

"Glynn,  on  the  whole,  is  a  good  boy,  but  he  thinks 
it  hard  that  I  won't  allow  him  to  go  on  picket,  etc.  He 
would  go  a  little  in  front  of  the  foremost,  if  I  Avould 
let  him." 

"Camp  Winfield  Scott,  April  23rd,  1862. 

"Your  letter  is  received  and  1  am  sorry  you  so 
readily  take  on  the  color  of  those  about  you.  It  is  pos- 
sible there  may  be  those  who  honestly  distrust  Mc- 
Clellan,  but  the  hue-and-cry  originated  with  scheming 
politicians  who  began  to  fear  his  great  popularity.  I 
don't  believe  McClellan  ever  thought  of  the  presidency, 
but  these  howling  politicians  will  excite  the  army  to 
take  the  matter  in  hand,  and  when  the  time  comes  give 
their  vote  together;  the  army  has  full  confidence  in 
him.  What  called  him  to  the  colnmand  but  the  inanner 
in  which  he  conducted  the  campaign  in  Western  Vir- 
ginia ?    The  energy,  decision,  and  rapidity  of  his  move- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  125 

ments,  the  success  which  attended  them,  was  what 
directed  attention  to  him  when  a  great  leader  was  called 
for. 

"You  wonder  what  induced  McClellan  to  come 
here!  Why,  of  course  to  meet  the  enemy  in  their  last 
stronghold,  after  having  by  stratagem  and  battles 
driven  them  from  all  others.  You  allude  to  this  place 
as  a  trap!  It  will  prove  a  trap  to  the  enemy  only. 
Their  outcry  is  that  that  portion  of  the  army  imme- 
diately under  McClellan  has  accomplished  no  more. 
Why !  they  have  been  disciplined,  and  at  the  same  time 
have  kept  at  bay  the  grand  army  of  rebels  which  was 
strong  enough  to  have  thrashed  out  all  our  Western 
forces,  and  which  has  been  waiting  for  some  flaw  in 
our  plans  to  march  upon  Washington. 

"This  grand  army  has  been  obliged  to  fall  back  to 
York  River,  through  the  splendid  military  concatena- 
tions of  McClellan ;  and  through  the  same  genius  will, 
in  spite  of  all  the  aid  which  the  miserable  politicians 
give  them  in  trying  to  cripple  McClellan,  be  com- 
pletely routed  from  their  position  also. 

"Do  not  write  any  more  of  this  nonsense;  write 
love  and  I  will  do  the  same." 


CHAPTEE  TWELFTH. 

T^BOM  the  doctor's  standpoint,  neither  the  intensity 
^  of  his  feelings  nor  his  language  excited  wonder  in 
me,  for  soon  I  learned  that  what  he  said  was  verified. 
He  (the  doctor)  was  as  anxious  to  get  to  Richmond  as 
two  prominent  senators  were  determined  that  McClellan 
should  not!  The  wife  of  one  of  these  senators  said  in 
my  presence,  that  she  ''lived  in  fear  night  and  day, 
lest  McClellan  would  gain  another  battle  and  finally 
get  to  Richmond^  Since  then  I  have  heard  the  doctor 
assert  "  that  whatever  were  the  merits  or  demerits  of 
General  McClellan,  it  was  a  significant  fact  that  after 
his  removal,  there  was  no  fui'ther  harping  about  delay." 
And  later  he  said  "that  the  conservative  young  gen- 
eral deserved  the  greatest  credit  for  first  forming  that 
Grand  Army  of  the  Potomac,  which  was  the  foundation 
for  those  to  work  upon  who  came  after  him." 


"Camp  Winfield  Scott,  April  24th,  1862. 
"Your  letter  of  the  twenty-second  was  received  this 
evening.  ...  If  you  knew  how  much 

126 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  127 

I  have  to  do,  how  embaiTassed  I  am  by  a  thousand 
cares,  the  wearing  anxiety  that  results  from  the  over- 
sight of  the  sick,  you  would  indeed  commiserate  me.  I 
am  quite  certain  that  under  present  auspices,  I  am 
heartily  tired  of  the  service.  Dr.  Clark  and  Mr,  How- 
ard came  yesterday  and  were  my  guests  to-night.  Thev 
came  to  furnish  comforts  for  those  in  hospital,  and  will 
wait  until  after  the  battle.  .... 

"  Tuesday  Evening,  April  25fh. — This  morning 
brought  another  letter  fi'om  you,  which  came  down 
fi'om  camp,  having  been  overlooked  last  evening  by  the 
mail  carrier.  .  .  .         Men  are  now  fallinof 

ill,  and  we  have  so  little  to  do  with.  Tonio^ht  broug:ht 
the  fii'st  fruits  of  the  committee  from  Michigan  in  the 
shape  of  bedding,  etc.  I  hope  soon  to  have  the  men 
comfortable  once  more.  Dr.  Clark  has  gone  to  Forti'ess 
Monroe  to  procure  some  luxuries  for  those  who  are  ill. 
He  will  return  tomorrow.  It  appears  to  do  the  men 
so  much  good  to  feel  that  the  citizens  at  home  have 
remembered  them. 

"  You  speak  of  the  interest  you  have  in  my  every- 
day life.  I  assure  you  I  have  felt  very  little  interest 
in  it  lately,  I  have  been  so  oppressed  with  care.  The 
fare  is  poor;  nothing  in  the  way  of  bakery  can  be  pro- 
cured except  hard  bread,  which  I  abominate.     I  have 


128  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

paid  two  dollars  per  bushel  for  potatoes  and  was  glad 
to  get  them  at  that  price.  However,  lately  I  have  been 
able  to  get  flour,  and  Charlie  makes  elegant  fritters, 
albeit  he  fries  them  more  than  half  the  time  in  suet. 

"Yesterday  Dr.  Clark  breakfasted  with  me  for  the 
first  time.  We  had  some  of  Charlie's  fried  steak  with 
plenty  of  gravy,  potatoes,  fritters,  and  coffee  without 
milk!  Dr.  Clark  wrote  to  his  wife  that  it  was  the  best 
breakfast  he  had  eaten  in  a  year!  I  told  the  doctor 
that  sometimes  Charlie  fi'ied  the  fritters  in  suet,  but 
although  they  were  good,  they  smacked  a  little  of  tal- 
low, and  were  not  so  good  as  those  we  were  now  eating. 
Just  then  I  looked  at  the  cooking  paraphernalia  (we  eat 
in  the  kitchen)  and  discovered  a  large  piece  of  suet 
from  which  some  had  been  freely  cut,  glanced  at  Char- 
lie's face,  which  had  on  it  a  sort  of  suppressed  grin,  the 
truth  flashed  upon  me,  and  I  exclaimed,  '  By  George ! 
the  rascal  has  fried  these  we  are  eating  in  suet!'  We 
enjoyed  the  joke  quite  as  much  as  we  did  the  breakfast. 

"As  I  before  mentioned  to  you,  our  hospital  and 
consequently  my  own  quarters  are  located  in  deserted 
barracks, — log-huts,  some  of  them  nicely  built.  Mine 
is  about  fifteen  by  eighteen  feet  square,  almost  as  large 
as  four  such  tents  as  my  last  one  at  Camp  Michigan. 
There  is  no  floor,  but  a  large  fire-place  in  which,  as  I 
write,  burns  a  cheerful  fire.    In  this  room  I  have  medi- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  129 

cines  arranged  oq  one  side;  in  the  center  a  table;  in 
one  comer  a  rongli  bedstead,  covered  with  pine  boughs, 
upon  which,  with  my  buffalo-robe  and  blankets,  I  make 
a  bed  for  Glynn  and  myself.  In  another  comer  is  a 
Secession  army  cot  (formerly  the  property  of  Colonel 
McKinney  of  a  North  Carolina  regiment),  which  I 
appropriated  at  the  house  we  fii'st  occupied  as  a  hospi- 
tal and  which  we  deserted  as  the  shells  of  the  enemy 
flew  directly  on  the  house.  This  cot  young  Allen  sleeps 
on.  I  keep  him  with  me  to  dispense  medicines,  write, 
etc.  Colonel  McKinney  was  killed  in  a  skirmish  occur- 
ring about  a  week  since,  and  is  spoken  of  very  highly 
by  the  Confederate  papers.  You  perceive  the  cot  to 
be  quite  a  trophy.  In  the  rear  of  my  mansion,  I  have 
another  smaller  one,  where  Charlie  reigns  monarch! 

"Thus  I  have  photographed  for  you  a  picture  of  my 
rude  but  comfortable  surroundings.  I  can  fill  but  three 
pages,  having  no  envelopes,  neither  wafers,  wax,  nor 
gum,  so  must  fold  my  letter  the  old-fashioned  way  and 
resort  to  surgical  plaster  for  a  seal." 

"Camp  Winfield  Scott,  befoee  Yoektown, 
''Ajyra  28th,  1862. 

"You  ask  several  questions  about  McClellan's 
movements  here  which  I  have  already  answered  in  a 
former  letter  that  you  have  probably  received  before 


130  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

this,  but  there  is  one  question  which  requires  an  answer. 
You  ask  why  he  came  into  this  horrid,  unhealthy, 
swampy  country.  '  Pid  he  not  know  the  miserable  hole 
into  which  he  was  going  to  lead  that  fine  army?'  Of 
course  he  knew  all  about  it  from  the  maps  of  the  topo- 
graphical corps.  I  consulted  one  of  them  before  we 
left  Fort  Monroe,  and  probably  McClellan  consulted 
them  last  Autumn. 

"Necessity  compelled  him  to  move  here  upon  this 
Peninsula,  of  the  advantages  of  which  the  rebels 
availed  themselves  one  year  ago,  and  by  means  of 
which  they  whipped  out  Butler  at  Big  Bethel  in  May 
last.  You  slander  the  country.  It  is  as  fine  a  level 
country  as  any  about  Detroit.  Would  you  condemn  a 
general  for  leading  a  fine  army  into  the  vicinity  of 
Detroit  if  his  object  was  to  take  the  city? 

"  Our  division  happens  to  be  encamped  in  a  swampy 
place,  because  its  position  fell  there.  The  line  must  be 
perfect,  the  place  must  be  occupied,  and  it  was  the  lot 
of  Hamilton's  di\dsion  to  occupy  it.  I  repeat  it,  the 
country  from  here  to  Fort  Monroe  is  the  finest  level 
country  I  ever  saw.  Hole !  Would  to  God  there  were 
no  worse  holes  on  His  footstool! 

"You  say  it  is  with  McClellan' s  expenditure  and 
delay  that  people  are  dissatisfied.  As  to  expense, 
those  who   dance  must  pay  the  fiddler;  as  to  delay,  I 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 


131 


have  answered  that  in  a  former  letter.  It  is  a  set  of 
implacable  politicians  who  raised  this  howl;  that  they 
have  succeeded  in  drawing  into  their  wake  unsuspect- 
ing persons  is  more  than  probable.  Mj  only  fear  is  that 
Lincoln  will  not  hold  out  against  the  political  hounds 
who  are  pressing  him.  He  has  had  McClellan's  resig- 
nation in  his  hands  for  months,  with  the  direction  from 
McClellan  to  accept  it  whenever  he  distrusted  his  policy 
or  ability. 

"You  ask  if  I  think  the  siege  of  Yorktown  will  be 
as  bloody  as  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing.  Prob- 
ably not,  if  we  regard  McClellan's  humane  and  scien- 
tific mode  of  warfare;  and  yet  for  this  very  act  there 
are  those  who  idtuperate  him."  .... 

"Camp  Winfield  Scott,  befoee  Yorktown,  Ya. 
"  Wednesday,  April  30th,  1862. 

"I  have  read  and  reread  your  letter  received  this 
morning  in  order  to  make  a  long  one  out  of  it, 
though  I  hold  that  a  letter  should  be  the  measure  of 
its  own  length  and  not  the  paper  on  which  it  happens 
to  be  written.  I  mention  its  brevity  only  as  being  a 
disappointment  to  me.  .  .  .  .  . 

"I  am  glad  my  letter  in  reference  to  McClellan 
pleased  you.  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  answer  all  your 
inquiries,  but  in  two  or  three  of  your  letters  you,  your- 


132  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

se 7/ became  the  critic,  saying.  'You  must  admit  so  and 
so.'     Now  .  .  .  I  do  admit  that  I  know 

nothing:  about  military  service;  much  less  that  hio^h 
branch  of  it  which  involves  the  combination  of  exten- 
sive movements.  Whether  this  or  that  would  have 
been  the  better  coui'se  I  am  no  more  prepared  to  say, 
than  would  General  McClellan  be  to  say  whether  this 
or  that  would  have  been  the  best  way  for  me  to  manage 
that  fatal  form  of  measles  which  so  afflicted  the  army 
last  winter.  However.  I  do  recognize  General  McClel- 
lan's  ability  and  training  in  the  profession  of  ai*ms. 

"General  Heintzelman.  who  was  no  admirer  of 
McClellan.  when  he  was  made  a  major-general  and 
assumed  command  of  a  corps  d'  armee.  and  was  then 
for  the  first  time  made  acquainted  with  the  whole  of 
McClellan  s  plans,  says  that  'they  (the  plans)  must 
succeed;  there  is  no  chance  of  failure  (humanly  speak- 
ing). Perhaps  the  plans  might  have  been  less  elaborate 
and  still  successful,  but  with  a  much  greater  expendi- 
ture of  life.' 

"Let  these  croakers  go  themselves,  or  send  their 
sons  and  brothers  into  the  field:  let  them  leave  the 
comforts  of  their  homes  and  the  society  of  their  families ; 
let  them  hui'l  themselves  upon  the  breach;  let  them 
throw  themselves  upon  the  batteries  of  the  enemy,  and 
rest  assured  we  shall  hear  less  of  expenditure  and  delay. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  133 

"No!  .  .  .  Ask  as  many  questions 

as  you  please  and  I  will  answer  them  most  cheerfully, 
but  do  not  find  fault  with  plans  that  tend  to  save  life, 
to  soothe  lacerated  hearts  at  home:  do  not  criticise 
things  that  neither  you  nor  I  can  understand.  I  ap- 
prove your  plan  of  not  talking  politics.  I  never  allow 
myself  to  talk  of  such  things  now.  After  the  war  will 
be  quite  time  enough  for  that."      .... 

"Camp  Winfield  Scott, 
"  Thursday  Afternoon^  May  Isf,  1862. 

"Glyndon  has  just  written  to  you,  and  as  he  has 
told  his  experience  of  yesterday,  it  becomes  my  duty  to 
explain  a  little  that  you  may  not  be  quite  so  uneasy  as 
you  othei*wise  would  be.  The  siege  batteries  are  num- 
bered; the  heaviest  (No.  1)  is  situated  on  the  bank  of 
York  river,  commanding  the  river  fi'ont  of  Yorktown 
and  Gloucester  Point  opposite.  Below,  something  like 
a  mile,  lie  several  of  our  war  steamers.  Day  before 
yesterday  they  had  been  firing  at  a  steam-boat  crossing 
between  Yorktown  and  Gloucester  Point.  Dr.  Clark 
and  I  went  down  to  see  the  firing  and  I  allowed  Glynn 
to  go  along.  There  was  no  danger ;  the  steamers  being 
beyond  range  of  the  enemy's  guns  there  was  no  return 
to  their  fire,  and  had  there  been,  we  were  completely  to 
one  side  of  the  range. 


134  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"Battery  No.  1  was  not  yet  completed,  consequently 
there  was  no  firing  from  it;  masked  by  an  orchard,  the 
enemy  knew  nothing  of  it,  and  it  had  not  yet  drawn 

their  fire.     Yesterday  G asked  me  if  he  might  go 

down,  and  I  allowed  him  the  privilege.  It  was  five 
o'clock;  I  was  about  closing  my  letter  to  you  when  Dr. 
Clark,  who  had  gone  out  some  two  hours  previously, 
came  in  and  said  that  battery  No.  1  was  completed  and 
they  were  getting  range  of  their  guns  by  a  few  shots 
upon  the  enemy,  and  that  the  shells  from  the  rebel  for- 
tifications were  falling  all  round  the  scene  of  our  visit 
the  previous  day.  I  was  alarmed,  and  asked  if  he  had 
seen  Glyndon  there.  He  had  not.  In  double-quick 
time  I  was  in  the  saddle  and  on  my  way  to  the  scene  of 
action.  I  had  hardly  ridden  a  third  of  the  distance, 
when  I  heard  a  shrill  signal  whistle,  which  I  instantly 
recognized.  Glynn,  returning  and  seeing  me,  thus 
signalled.  He  was  all  excitement,  and  as  he  related 
his  experiences,  seemed  supremely  happy.  I  was  infi- 
nitely relieved.     The  rest  he  has  told  you." 

"Van  Allen  Fakm,  James  Eivek,  Vieginia. 
'^Wednesday  Evening,  May  7th,  1862. 
"  My  last  note  was  abruptly  broken  off  by  an  order 
to  march.     I  trust  you  received  it  with  an  explanatory 
one  from  Dr.  Everett. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  135 

"Well,  to  take  up  the  thread  of  eyents.  I  got  into 
saddle  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  after  making  slow 
progress  through  the  nind.  an  aid-de-camp  arrived, 
ordering  lis  on  with  all  possible  speed  to  reinforce 
General  Hooker  and  to  clear  the  road  of  any  and  every- 
thing in  the  way,  and  push  on!     General  H was 

fighting  the  enemy. 

"Our  brigade  led  the  division,  and  our  regiment  the 
brigade.  Soon  another  aid  came  back  hurrying  us  on. 
General  Kearney  rode  in  advance  to  ascertain  how  the 
land  lay.  At  ten  o'clock  he  came  back  and  halted  us, 
telling  General  Berry  to  rest  the  men  for  half  an  hour, 
then  resume  the  march  without  knapsacks,  leaving 
them  in  charge  of  a  small  guard,  and  to  run  the  men 
on  for  three  miles  at  the  utmost  speed  and  go  at  once 
into  action. 

"  The  scene  lay  just  this  side  of  Williamsburg,  in  a 
thick  wood  where  the  enemy  were  fighting  General 
Hooker  from  a  rifle  pit  in  front  of  strong  works.  They 
were  driving  him  gradually  back.  Such  was  the  first 
stern  work  the  Fifth  were  called  upon  to  do.  We 
pushed  on,  and  as  we  neared  the  scene  of  action,  the 
road  lay  through  a  dense  forest,  and  on  either  side  of 
the  way  were  the  exhausted  soldiers  who  had  been  in 
action,  and  were  withdrawn  for  rest,  while  others  still 
fought  on.     Cheers  greeted  our  arrival,   which   were 


136  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

returned  by  onr  brigade  with  a  yell  that  seemed  fairly 
devilish  I 

"Beaching  the  field  depot  to  which  the  wounded 
were  brought  back  I  turned  in  to  aid  in  the  exhausting 
work  of  the  tired  sui'geons.  Here  General  Heintzel- 
man  sat  on  his  horse  impatiently  awaiting  us.  As  I 
turned  in,  he  said,  'Just  in  time,  Doctor,'  pointing  to 
the  field  of  my  operations,  and  passed  on  across  the 
road  to  give  General  Berry  orders. 

••  Dismounting,  I  commenced  my  labors.  It  seemed 
I  had  hardly  been  engaged  five  minutes,  when  Captain 
LeFarren  was  brought  back  with  the  end  of  his  nose 
shot  off  and  his  cheek  horribly  mangled ;  then  in  they 
came  constantly — terribly  shot  and  maimed,  some  dying 
as  they  were  brought  in.  It  seemed  as  though  our 
regiment  was  being  wholly  slaughtered!  The  rain 
continued  to  pour,  the  garments  of  the  men  and  the 
ground  on  which  they  lay,  literally  soaking.  None  of 
lis  had  on  a  di'y  thread;  my  own  water-di*enched  trou- 
sers had  dripped  into  my  boots  until  my  feet  were  in  a 
bath.  On  we  worked  until  night  overspread  us,  and 
still  the  rain  poured,  only  darkness  stopping  the  di'ead- 
ful  carnage. 

"  The  nearest  building  was  one  mile  away,  no  am- 
bulances of  our  division  had  yet  come  up,  and  those  of 
Hooker's  were  not  able  to  carry  one  in  twenty.     A  few 


MEMOKIAL   SKETCHES.  137 

were  carried;  those  who  had  been  shot  in  the  arms, 
and  could,  walked;  the  rest  remained  on  the  ground  all 
night  in  the  continuous  rain.  Many  died  before  morn- 
ing, and  all  suffered  terribly.  TThen  night  came  on 
and  nothing  could  be  done  but  to  watch  the  poor  fel- 
lows, I  left  Everett  and  Adams,  rode  back  here,  and 
went  to  work,  xlt  midnight  wrapped  myself  in  the 
robe  which  had  been  rolled  up  on  'Cam's  '  back  all  day. 
the  fur  soaking-:  and  in  it,  with  my  wet  clothes,  laid 
down  on  the  floor  and  slept  till  morning.  I  had  eaten 
nothing  since  breakfast,  which  consisted  of  crackers 
and  coffee.  I  arose  faint  and  exhausted;  sought  a 
negro  shanty  where  I  procured  some  coffee  and  biscuit. 
and  thus  fortified,  I  again  commenced  work.  At  noon 
we  had  coffee  and  beef,  an  ox  haying  been  butchered 
for  the  benefit  of  the  wounded  and  those  who  were 
working  for  their  relief.  By  two  o'clock  we  had  all 
been  tolerably  well  cared  for.  I  then  rode  back  upon 
the  battle-field.  Many  were  still  lying  on  the  ground 
at  the  depot,  and  many  still  continued  to  lie  there 
until  to-day,  thus  remaining  out  two  nights  after 
receiying  their  wounds. 

"  The  weather  had  cleared  and  a  genial  sun  warmed 
and  dried  the  poor  fellows.  The  dead  of  both  sides 
thickly  strewed  the  woods,  presenting  the  most  harrow- 
ing sight.     Here  and  there  was  a  familiar  face.     Un- 


138  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

foiiiunate  Lieutenant  Gunning  was  shot  through  the 
head  early  in  the  fight.  From  this  shocking  scene  I 
rode  back  to  hurry  up  the  hospital  wagon  containing 
my  supplies,  and  found  it  detained  by  the  quartermas- 
ters, who  would  order  such  useless  things  as  supplies 
for  the  sick  to  remain  behind  to  accommodate  wagons 
containing  quartermasters'  stores.  I  ordered  my  wagon 
forward,  and  at  night,  Tuesday,  it  arrived. 

"Glynn  has  been  carrying  lemonade  to  the  poor 
fellows  all  day,  and  seems  abundantly  repaid  by  wit- 
nessing their  grateful  expressions.  At  noon,  after  com- 
pleting the  round  at  the  barn  (we  have  three  houses 
and  one  large  barn),  one  poor  fellow  called  out  to  him, 
'  Boy,  they  have  missed  me.     If  you  will  bring  me  a 

cupful  I  will  give  you  a  quarter.'     G .  replied,  'Do 

you  think  I  would  take  money  from  a  wounded  soldier  ? 
No!  but  I  will  make,  and  bring  you  some.' 

"  This  has  been  another  day  of  hard  work.  We 
are  shipping  off  the  unfortunate  fellows  and  shall  prob- 
ably get  them  all  off  to-morrow.  So  much  for  my 
personal  experience.     Now  for  the  battle  and  result. 

"The  Fifth  and  Second  Michigan  and  the  Thirty- 
Seventh  New  York  found  and  charged  on  the  enemy; 
drove  them  back  out  of  the  rifle-pit  and  beyond,  con- 
tinuing to  fight  till  night.  About  an  houi'  after  they 
entered  the  field,  Birney's  and  Jameson's  brigade  came 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  139 

up  and  also  engaged  in  the  strife.  When  too  dark  to 
fight,  all  rested  npon  their  arms  till  morning,  when  it 
was  found  the  enemy  had  retreated,  leaving  their  dead 
and  all  of  theii'  Avorst  wounded  (there  are  eight  hundred 
wounded  prisoners  in  Williamsburg) ;  then  we  advanced, 
and  as  day  broke,  planted  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  the 
works,  which  are  said  to  be  very  strong, 

"The  Fifth  fought  bravely  and  get  good  credit,  I 
believe.  Colonel  Terry  was  slightly  injured  by  a  ball 
which  shattered  his  stirrup;  Colonel  Buck  was  shot 
through  the  thigh;  Major  Fairbank's  horse  was  shot  in 
two  places;  several  of  the  company  officers  are  badly 
wounded.     The  whole  loss  I  have  not  yet  learned. 

"And  now,  I  think  you  ask:  "Where  was  our  boy  all 
this  time  ? '  I  will  tell  you :  and  when  I  have  told  you, 
you  will  wonder  how  I  slept  on  that  night  after  the 
battle.  ....  I    found    the    field 

depot  too  near  the  scene  of  strife  at  the  time  we  en- 
tered it,  to  be  agreeable,  the  shot  crackling  around  us 
on  the  trees.  For  this  reason  I  sent  Glyndon  back  to 
a  certain  point  on  the  road  to  wait  till  I  should  come 
to  him.  After  our  forces  had  driven  the  enemy  back 
and  there  was  less  danger,  I  sent  Allen  to  bring  up 

G ,  but  he  retui'ned  without  him.     I  then  mounted 

and  rode  back  myself,  only  too  glad  to   escape  for  a 


140  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

while  the  sickening  sights  around  me,  but  I  too  failed 
in  finding  him. 

"Thus  night  and  darkness  closed  over  us,  thirty 
thousand  men  in  the  forest  around  us,  the  rain  ponring, 
and  my  boy  missing !  How  do  you  think  I  felt  ?  As  I 
reasoned,  I  knew  if  he  had  obeyed  me,  he  was  safe,  and 
I  believed  that  he  had  obeyed;  but  still  the  question 
would  arise  whether  his  curiosity  had  not  led  him  for- 
ward to  the  field,  and  if  so,  whether  he  had  not  been 
shot! — At  this  thought  my  heart  quaked  with  fear; 
then  to  my  comfoi*t  would  come  my  confidence  in  his 
obedience.  So  I  worked  on  till  midnight,  and,  worn 
out,  I  slept. 

"Early  in  the  morning  I  sent  a  note  to  Allen  to 
report  to  me,  and  if  Glyndon  had  turned  up,  to  bring 
him.  When  Allen  came  he  reported  the  young  man  to 
be  on  his  way ;  that  he  had  come  along  in  the  morning 
while  they  were  breaking  their  fast  on  hard  bread,  took 
a  seat  on  the  ground  with  them  and  helped  himself  as 
coolly  as  if  he  had  not  been  gone.  They  asked  him 
where  he  had  slept.  He  replied,  "With  a  darkey  in 
the  woods.'  He  had  remained  in  the  spot  I  had 
designated,  or  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  until  nearly 
dark,  then  he  thought  it  time  to  look  out  for  himself. 
He  would  not  go  forward  against  my  injunctions,  but 
he  had  learned  fi'om  some  one  that  I  had  gone  back  to 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  141 

the  hospital.  It  was  then  too  dark  for  him  to  attempt 
to  find  it;  so,  casting  about  for  a  supperless  bed,  he  fell 
in  with  General  Berry's  servant.  With  him  he  made 
friends,  and  as  the  fellow  had  a  small  shelter  tent,  a 
blanket,  and  a  big  overcoat  of  the  general's  in  his 
keeping,  they  pitched  their  tent,  built  a  fire ;  then,  the 
darkey  wi'apping  Glynn  in  the  overcoat,  they  laid  down 

together   and  slept  till  morning.      G is  a  capital 

boy  and  has  a  generous  heart.  God  grant  that  he  may 
be  a  comfort  to  us  in  years  to  come!  Now  I  have  told 
you  my  participation  in  an  affair  that  you  probably 
know  all  about  through  the  papers." 


CHAPTER    THIRTEENTH. 

/^^  LYNDON,  with  an  abandoned  pocket-case  of  his 
^  father's,  containing  a  few  instruments,  and  with 
some  dressings,  was  ready  for  an  emergency.  A  plucky 
soldier  who  had  not  yet  received  attention,  allowed  him 
to  extract  a  bullet  from  his  temple.  He  had  just  made 
the  incision,  when  his  father  came  along,  and  said 
(purposely  evincing  no  surprise),  "Young  man,  you 
had  better  make  that  cut  a  little  longer."  But  the  boy 
worked  on  a  few  seconds,  grasped  and  brought  out  the 
ball! 

By  this  time  two  or  three  doctors  and  some  officers 
had  come  up  and  were  amused  spectators,  while  the 
young  operator  fished  from  his  pockets  what  was 
required  and  finished  dressing  the  wound.  Then  turn- 
ing to  his  father,  said,  "  There  was  another  fellow  I 
wanted  to  get  at,  but  he  was  afraid!"  After  this  he 
dressed  many  of  the  simpler  wounds  and  was  intrusted 
with  another  operation,  for  this  achievement  (of  a  boy 
of  twelve)  had  made  him  quite  a  hero. 

142 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  1^3 

••Ix  Caxp  'between  James  and  Yoek  Eitees, 
'•xIbeeast  West  Point  Landing, 

'-Maij  llih.   1S62. 

"  Last  eYening  I  received  sever al  letters  from  you 
and  am  perched  up  on  an  ambulance  to  answer  tliem. 
They  are  the  fii'st  received  since  starting  on  this  march; 
and  since  the  letter  from  Tan  Allen's  farm,  this  is  the 
first  opportunity  I  have  had  for  writing.  To-day  we 
are  permitted  to  repose  on  our  march  while  some  other 
portions  of  the  army  are  on  the  move.  We  have  just 
heard  of  the  possession  of  Norfolk  by  our  troops  and 
the  blowing  up  of  the  'Merrimac'  We  have  also  just 
heard  some  cannonading  off  to  our  left  in  front  and  in 
advance.  It  may  be  our  vessels  advancing  up  the 
James  river. 

"  Before  I  left  the  hospital  on  the  Tan  Allen  farm, 
two  rebel  gun-boats  came  up  the  James  and  threw 
shells  on  our  side  of  the  river  some  five  miles  below  us, 
then  passed  up  the  river,  respecting  our  flag  and  not 
shelling  us.  We  were  agreeably  disappointed,  for  we 
were  shipping  off  our  wounded  men  and  had  a  train  of 
some  fiity  ambulances  drawn  up  around  the  hospitals. 
However,  before  the  boats  got  abreast  of  us  we  had  the 
ambulances,  such  as  were  loaded,  drawn  into  a  hollow 
out  of  sight.  Perhaps  the  reason  they  respected  our 
hospital  flag,  was  the  knowledge  of  our  having  some 


144  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

eight  hundred  of  their  wounded  prisoners  in  our  keep- 
ing at  Williamsburg. 

"A  couple  of  hours  later,  as  we  were  bidding  adieu 
to  the  scene  of  our  labors,  two  or  three  large  men-of- 
war  appeared  in  the  river  below  us  and  commenced 
shelling  the  opposite  shore;  by  this  we  knew  they  were 
our  own  boats.  We  could  not  wait  to  have  them  come 
up  opposite,  but  hurried  up  to  join  our  forces  at  Will- 
iamsburg. They  started  onward  to  Richmond.  All 
the  route  hither  from  Williamsburg  is  strewn  with 
broken  wagons,  several  cannon  and  caissons,  showing 
that  their  flight  was  to  them,  what  Bull  Run  was  to  us. 
Many  prisoners  have  fallen  into  our  hands  and  many 
have  skulked  off  into  the  woods  during  the  fight,  glad 
of  a  chance  to  desert. 

"The  papers  we  have  seen,  fail  to  do  justice  to 
Berry's  brigade,  for  it  was  our  timely  arrival  that  saved 
the  day.  We  are,  however,  to  be  righted  in  this  mat- 
ter, and  an  order  has  been  issued  for  'Williamsburg'  to 
be  inscribed  on  our  banners.  It  is  singular  how  trivial 
circumstances  sometimes  turn  the  whole  tide  of  events; 
for  instance,  when  we  had  received  the  order  to  hurry 
on  and  clear  the  road  of  everything  that  obstructed  our 
passage,  we,  in  obedience  to  that  order,  broke  into 
somebody's  division  that  was  filing  into  our  route  from 
another  road,  cutting  off  a  whole  brigade.     They  were 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  145 

marching  yery  slowly  and  we  were  liiiiTying  on.  They 
were  indignant  at  thus  being  broken  into. 

"  After  marching  on  something  like  a  mile  we  were 
met  by  General  Kearney,  and  at  the  same  time  an  aide 
came  up  from  the  brigade  which  was  cut  off.  complain- 
ing that  we  had  broken  into  their  columns.  General 
Kearney  said,  'Eide  back  and  tell  the  rear  to  halt  till 
your  brigade  can  join  your  column.'  But  after  the 
aide  had  started,  he  evidently  thought  of  the  great 
necessity  of  haste  and  called  to  one  of  his  own  aides, 
'  Go  back  and  tell  them  to  let  us  come  on.  we  shall  soon 
be  out  of  their  way.  for  we  shall  take  another  road!' 
He  then  rode  forward  to  the  fi'ont. 

"  Soon  after  we  came  to  two  roads;  no  one  had  been 
left  to  designate  which  one  we  were  to  take,  and  Gen- 
eral Berry  was  continuing  on  the  main  route.  I 
remembered  General  Kearney's  order  to  his  aide,  and 
turning  to  General  Berry,  said.  '  General.  I  think  you 
are  wrong,'  and  repeated  to  him  General  Kearney's 
words  to  his  aide.  The  general  immediately  halted  the 
column,  and  after  investigation  took  the  other  road, 
saying,  '  Doctor,  I  thank  you  for  noticing  and  telling 
me  what  General  Kearney  said,  otherwise  I  should  have 
been  out  of  the  way.'  Had  we  been  half  an  hour  later 
we  should  have  lost  the  day;  and  had  I  not  taken  in 
and  repeated  the  remark,  we  should  have  lost   more 

10 


146  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

time  than  tliat.  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  thinking  that 
I  did  something  that  day  to  save  the  honor  of  our  flag, 
as  well  as  to  minister  to  those  who  defended  it. 

"Since  writing  the  above,  I  have  stopped  to  read 
the  'Clipper'  of  the  9th  inst.,  in  which  there  is  an 
account  of  the  battle  of  Williamsburg;  and  in  the 
account  the  division  of  General  Kearney  is  mentioned 
only  to  say  that  it  arrived  on  the  field  just  before  night ; 
while  the  truth  is,  we  arrived  at  haK  past  two  o'clock, 
when  the  rebels  had  driven  our  forces  back  to  within 
two  hundred  yards  of  the  operating  depot,  over  which, 
when  I  entered  it,  the  bullets  were  clattering  at  every 
discharge.  Our  brigade  immediately  went  into  the 
fight  and  di'ove  the  enemy  back  to  a  rifle-pit,  and  then 
from  it  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  continued  to 
drive  them  backward  till  dark,  where  they  remained 
resting  on  their  arms  until  morning  broke.  Such  is  the 
true  state  of  matters  on  the  left  wing,  and  in  the  official 
reports  you  will  see  them  so  stated.  But  enough  of 
this.     I  long  to  get  to  Richmond. 

"  Since  the  battle  I  have  obtained  a  pet  colt  for 
Glynn.     He  is  two  years  old  and  has  evidently  been  a 

pet,  and  though  unused  to  the  bit  is  tractable.     G 

has  ridden  him  several  days,  is  much  pleased,  and  may 
well  be,  for  it  makes  him  quite  independent.     He  calls 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  147 

him  '  Dixie,'  is  now  writing  to  you,  and  no  doubt  will 
t^ll  you  all  about  it."  .  .  .  .  . 

"  Camp  at  Slateryille,  Ya., 
'^  Wednesday  Evening,  May  14ih,  1862. 

"  I  have  been  ill  for  two  days,  and  this  writing  in 
camp  is  no  fool  of  a  trick.  When  I  am  busy,  Allen  is 
equally  so ;  and  when  not  too  busy  to  write,  there  are 
no  conveniences  for  writing.  While  on  the  march 
every  day,  it  is  almost  impossible,  and  aside  from  the 
fatigue,  it  is  extremely  difficult.  I  am  now  sitting 
tailor-fashion  on  my  buffalo-robe,  trying  to  write  on 
my  lap.  Three  times  since  I  commenced,  the  candle 
has  upset,  throwing  the  sperm  in  all  directions;  once 
all  over  Allen's  letter  which  he  is  (I  presume  from  his 
impatience  at  the  accident)  writing  to  his  sweetheart. 
Cramped  from  my  first  position,  I  have  spread  out  flat! 
and  will  try  this  awhile.  ..... 

"  This  experience  will  apologize  to  you  sufficiently, 
I  think,  for  my  not  writing  more  frequently  when  on 
the  march.     I  had  no  time  Sunday.     After  Yorktown 
was  evacuated  I  was  working  like  a  dog  getting  ready 
for  the  march.     You  don't — you  can't  begin  to  know 
the  half  of  my  difficulties.        ..... 

O !  how  my  elbows  ache !     For  this  letter  I  deserve  the 
greatest  credit."  ..... 


148  memorial  sketches. 

"Camp   at   Cumbebland   Landing,    Va., 
''Friday  Afternoon,  May  16th,  1862. 

"To-day  brought  another  letter  from  you,  I  hasten 
to  answer  it  because  we  are  lying  by  and  I  can  write. 
Night  before  last  the  feat  was  accomplished  under 
somewhat  constrained  circumstances. 

"  We  marched  to  this  point  yesterday  forenoon 
through  the  rain.  I  was  wet  and  cold;  slept  last  night 
as  I  did  the  night  after  the  battle,  with  this  difference, 
that  my  buffalo-robe  was  dry.  Yesterday  was  much 
such  a  day  as  the  Monday  on  which  the  battle  occurred. 
We  came  here  partly  to  obtain  supplies,  this  being 
the  landing  where  all  our  supplies  now  come.  Look  at 
the  map  and  you  will  see  the  exact  place,  and  will  dis- 
cover we  are  nearing  Richmond  apace.  We  expect 
another  battle  before  we  reach  the  city.  God  grant  it 
may  crown  our  efforts  and  do  much  toward  quelling 
the  rebellion! 

"  With  regard  to  what  our  destination  will  be,  of 
course  nothing  is  known  to  us.  You  speak  of  it  as  a 
fact  that  General  Porter  will  be  provost- marshal  of 
Richmond.  How  do  you  know  this  ?  General  Porter, 
who  was  provost  of  Washington,  is  in  command  of  a 
brigade  only.  General  Fitz-John  Porter  is  in  com- 
mand of  a  division. 

"It  is,  I  suppose,  time  that  General  Hamilton  was 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  149 

relieved  of  his  command  on  account  of  his  writing  to 
General  McClellan  two  very  emphatic  letters,  as  Gen- 
eral Heintzelman  paid  no  attention  to  his  very  just 
remonstrance  against  working  the  men  of  his  division 
so  hard  while  encamped  in  an  extremely  unhealthy 
place.  General  Hamilton  will  receive  the  hearty  sup- 
port of  all  the  officers  of  his  former  division  if  he 
demands  an  investigation.  I  know  not  what  was  con- 
tained in  General  Hamilton's  letter.  It  may  have  been 
the  tone  which  was  unmilitary,  but  to  the  fact  that  the 
location  of  the  camp  was  highly  objectionable,  no  medi- 
cal officer  in  this  division,  I  think,  would  hesitate  to 
affirm. 

"We  shall  probably  move  tomorrow,  and  several 
days  may  transpire  when  it  will  be  difficult  for  me  to 
write.  Continue  to  write,  for  your  letters  are  the  only 
comfort  I  get  out  of  this  fatiguing  dog's-life. 

"I  think  G will   get  no  harm  by  this   kind  of 

life,  while  it  must  enlarge  his  ideas.  It  strikes  me 
that  a  sufficient  reply  to  people  who  wonder  that  you 
should  let  him  be  here,  would  be  simply  to  state  that 
'  he  is  with  his  father.''  Glynn  rides  on  General 
Berry's  staff  and  is  a  fund  of  amusement  to  the  officers, 
especially  when  riding  in  the  rain  with  'Dixie'  up  to 
his  knees  in  mud,  and  the  boy  and  horse  almost  covered 
by  a  mackintosh  ! 


150  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"Now  to  tell  you  how  I  got  the  pony.  I  paid  five 
dollars  to  a  little  darkey  who  had  captured  it!  Many 
horses  and  mules  were  picked  up  at  Yorktown  and 
along  the  road,  this  among  the  number.  An  order  was 
issued  from  division  head-quarters  to  turn  over  all  such 
animals  to  the  provost-marshal,  but  General  Berry  said 
'Keep  the  little  fellow;  he  can  be  of  no  use  to  Uncle 
Sam.'  I  think  he  is  of  the  Virginia  racing  stock,  is  a 
fine  walker,  and  though  poor  and  undeveloped,  is  com- 
ing on  nicely  and  with  care  will  in  time  develop  into 
a  fine  pony."  ..... 

"Camp  Teery,  Virginia, 
''Sunday  Morning,  May  18ih,  1862. 
"This  bright  Sunday  morning  brought  another 
letter  from  your  dear  hand,  and  this  morning  finds  me 
answering  it.  Camp  Terry  is  the  same  camp  at  Cum- 
berland where  we  have  been  for  the  past  two  days  and 
from  which  my  last  letter  was  written.  We  are,  I 
suspect,  to  remain  here  a  few  days  longer,  I  suppose 
for  the  purpose  of  allowing  McDowell  to  come  up  from 
Fredericksburg.  We  are  now  completely  in  the  rear 
with  the  exception  of  Hooker's  division.  The  balance 
of  the  army  is  at,  and  between  here  and  the  White 
House,  a  point  some  five  miles  further  up  the  river, 
where    the    railroad    from   West    Point  to   Eichmond 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  151 

crosses  the  Pammike j.  The  roads  are  muddy  and  it  is 
difficult  to  move  over  them.  When  mule  teams  get 
almost  irretrievably  stuck  in  the  mud,  the  drivers' 
peculiar  vocabulary  is  the  most  efficient  thing  that  has 
yet  been  discovered  in  getting  them  out.  The  early 
foliage  is  beginning  to  appear  and  some  of  the  spots  in 
this  vicinity  are  beautiful. 

"I  suppose  the  enemy  will  dispute  our  passage  to 
Richmond  at  the  Chickahominy.  Much  is  said  about 
capture;  it  seems  to  me  dispersion  is  quite  as  effectual 
as  capture.  Once  dispersed,  the  army  can  never  be  re- 
collected. Jeff  Davis'  frantic  call  upon  the  inhabitants 
to  destroy  their  property  will  be  unavailing  to  his 
cause,  in  fact  it  will  injure  it;  for  men  who  own  a  year's 
growth  of  cotton  are  not  going  to  make  such  a  sacrifice 
when  it  can  avail  neither  them  nor  their  government 
anything. 

"I  enclose  the  map  which  you  sent  me;  it  is  the 
best  one  I  have  seen  of  this  locality.  The  star  that  I 
have  made,  marks  the  operating  depot;  the  black  line 
indicates  our  brigade,  to  which  point  the  Confederates 
had  driven  our  forces  back  at  the  moment  of  our  arrival. 
The  house  on  James  river  marked  '  Allen's,"  to  which  I 
have  prefixed  'Yan,'  is  the  position  of  the  hospital 
where  I  was  for  two  days  after  the  battle.  The  circle 
to  the  rear  of  Fort  Magruder  was  another  place  to  which 


152  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

some  thirty  of  the  Michigan  Fifth  were  removed  and 
where  I  spent  the  afternoon  of  Wednesday  and  the 
morning  of  Thursday.  I  there  had  stolen  from  me  the 
cot   of   Colonel  McKinney  which  I  prized  so  highly. 

Keep  the  map  for  future 
reference."  ..... 

"  Tuesday^  May  20th. — I  am  by  no  means  sorry 
you  take  so  deep  an  interest  in  the  battle  of  "Williams- 
burg. It  is  evidently  true  that  New  York  and  Phila- 
delphia papers  are  reluctant  to  award  merit  to  any  but 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania  regiments,  and  when,  as  in 
the  present  instance,  they  are  forced  to  award  to  West- 
ern troops  their  due  meed  of  praise,  they  also  magnify 
their  own  state  forces.  As  to  the  Thirty-Eighth  and 
Fortieth  New  York  regiments,  they  are  in  Birney's 
brigade  and  did  well,  but  they  did  not  arrive  on  the 
field  until  a  full  hour  and  a  half  after  Berry's  brigade 
had  driven  the  rebels  back  from  the  rifle-pit. 

"The  loss  in  our  division  in  killed  and  wounded  is 
four  hundred  and  twenty -six.  Of  these,  three  hundred 
belong  to  Berry's  brigade,  one  hundred  and  twenty-six 
to  Birney's  brigade.  Jameson's  was  not  in  the  fight. 
Of  the  three  hundred  that  belong  to  Berry's  brigade, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  belong  to  the  Fifth  Michigan. 
These  statistics  tell  the  story. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  153 

"The  request  of  Birney  to  allow  the  Thii'ty- Eighth 
and  Fortieth  regiments  to  inscribe  'Williamsburg'  on 
their  banner  is  brazen-faced  assurance,  while  the  desire 
to  inscribe  'Bull  Eun'  is  ridiculously  foolish.  What 
regiment  would  wish  to  perpetuate  the  inglorious 
retreat  from  this  last-named  field?  But  enoucfh, 
McClellan's  headquarters  are  yet  in  sight  of  our  camp, 
though  it  is  probable  he  will  advance  them  soon."    . 

"Baltimore  Cross  Koads,  Ya., 

"Eighteen  Miles  from  Eichmond, 
''May  21sf,  1862. 

"  To-day  I  have  received  another  most  welcome 
letter;  and  as  we  have  as  yet  no  orders  to  march,  I  am 
seated  to  answer  it.  We  have  reached  that  point  where 
every  one  is  uncomfortable;  I,  no  more  so,  perhaps, 
than  others,  but  I  cannot  incur  the  hardships  incident 
to  field  service  much  lonofer  if  a  resio-nation  will  relieve 
me  fi'om  them.  The  nights  are  always  cold  and  very 
damp,  while  the  days  are  hot.  If  the  weather  is  telling 
upon  my  health,  do  not  be  alarmed,  for  it  is  only  in 
diminished  weight  and  careworn  looks  that  I  am  aware 
that  the  climate  and  service  disagree  with  me. 

"  There  are  other  things  which  I  cannot  now  ex- 
plain, that  make  my  position  here  uncomfortable. 
The  truth  is  that  the   administration   of  the   medical 


154  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

department  of  the  army  is  utterly  imbecile.  The  great 
mistake  I  made  was  in  not  applying  for  a  brigade 
surgeoncy;  a  regimental  surgeon  is  held  responsible 
and  his  hands  are  tied.  Medical  directors,  medical 
ditto  of  corps  d'arm^e,  and  medical  ditto  of  divisions  are 
red-tape  channels  through  which  everything  must  go. 
"There  is  not  one  ambulance  where  there  should  be 
ten,  and  to  one  regiment  there  are  two  little  miserable 
sling  carts  only  at  my  command.  I  can  obtain  no  more, 
even  for  temporary  use,  except  by  following  up  red-tape 
through  two  or  three  medical  officers;  and  since  we 
started  on  this  march,  I  have  been  unable  to  obtain  them 
even  by  that  means.  Men  fall  sick  and  require  trans- 
portation to  be  carried  forward  or  back  to  some  depot. 
It  cannot  be  obtained ;  the  men  suffer  and  the  surgeon 
is  cursed  by  men  who  can't  appreciate  his  embarrass- 
ments, and  by  some  who  ivonHI  .... 

"Ten  Miles  from  Eichmond, 
"  Monday  Evening,  May  26th,  1862. 
"  We  marched  over  the  Ohickahominy  yesterday, 
bridges  having  been  constructed  for  that  purpose,  and 
we  are  now  approaching  swamps  in  earnest.  This  was 
our  first  Sunday's  march,  although  other  divisions  fre- 
quently march  on  Sunday.  There  are  now  two  corps 
(T  armee  on  this   side  of  the  swamp.     In  crossing  we 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  155 

found  no  opposition,  and  though  some  of  the  troops 
were  assailed,  there  was  no  stand  made  by  the  enemy 
at  this  point.  This  march  up  the  Peninsula,  General 
Berry  last  evening  pronounced  to  be  the  most  scientific 
and  skillful  possible. 

"  Since  the  battle  of  Williamsburg  the  whole  army 
has  been  within  easy  striking  distance,  i,  e.,  every  part 
has  been  in  supporting  distance  of  other  parts.  Thus 
we  have  gradually  moved  up  and  are  now  working  to 
the  north  side  of  Richmond,  where  we  shall  take  pos- 
session of  the  railroad  to  Fredericksburg.  This  will 
enable  McDowell  to  join  us.  Meantime,  Burnside 
approaches  fi*om  the  south-east,  Banks  and  Fremont 
from  the  north-west.  Buell  occupies  the  south-west. 
Thus  if  the  anny  of  McClellan  does  not  press  on  so 
fast  as  to  fi'ighten  the  enemy  to  evacuate  within  the 
next  week,  the  whole  army  at  Richmond  is  completely 
surrounded,  and  sooner  or  later  must  surrender  by  their 
supplies  being  cut  off,  their  escape  thus  being  rendered 
impossible. 

"  Here  you  see  the  grandest  development  of  the 
whole  of  McClellan' s  admirable  plan.  People  have 
scolded  about  McClellan's  delay;  and  now  at  this  stage, 
the  only  thing  that  seems  to  me  in  danger,  is  that  Mc- 
Clellan's portion  of  the  army  is  almost  too  soon  on  the 
ground  and  may  cause  the  escape  of  the  enemy  south- 


156  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 

ward  before  Burnside  and  the  southward  forces  are  in 
position  to  prevent  it.  But  let  us  wait  patiently  for 
events  as  they  arise.  .  .  .  . 

"We  have  cold  and  comfort-dispelling  rains,  and 
until  to-day,  either  marching  or  storms  have  prevented 
my  wi'iting  to  you  or  to  any  one  else.  All  feel  that 
McClellan  has  at  least  verified  one  of  his  promises 
which  he  made  in  his  address  to  his  army  in  the  Spring : 
that  they  would  have  '  hardships  and  privations.'  There 
is  probably  not  an  officer  or  soldier  but  feels  a  deep 
longing  to  be  quit  of  this  kind  of  life.  For  myself,  I 
often  find  myself  wondering  what  could  have  induced 
me  to  leave  the  comforts  that  I  did  to  encounter  what 
I  have.  It  is  quite  possible  we  may  have  a  battle 
before  the  city,  but  while  this  is  so  it  may  be  quite 
otherwise.  My  hope  is  that  no  battle  may  occur,  but 
that  the  city  may  be  so  completely  invested,  as  to  com- 
pel its  surrender.  ..... 

"  Enclosed  I  send  a  photograph  of  LeFarren's 
wounds ;  be  sure  and  preserve  it  for  me.  I  wrote  to 
you  day  before  yesterday  without  having  heard  from 
you,  and  had  I  not  schooled  myself  not  to  expect  let- 
ters I  should  have  been  greatly  disappointed;  but 
to-day  I  have  received  three.'.' 


CHAPTER  FOURTEENTH. 

"Camp  Ten  Miles  from  Eichmond,  ' 
"  Wednesday  Evening,  May  28,  1862. 
^^T  HA  YE  been  marching  and  coiinter-marching,  in 
^  heat,  in  cold,  in  wet,  in  hunger,  in  anger,  in 
ignorance  and  in  despair,  at  the  beck  and  nod  of  others, 
until  the  thing  is  about  'played  out'.  I  have,  never 
felt  so  small,  so  insignificant,  in  short  so  mean,  as  I 
have  since  I  have  been  a  ihing  to  be  ordered  about. 
Could  I  leave  the  service  to-morrow  with  credit  to  my- 
self, or  rather  if  the  people  of  Michigan  would  be 
satisfied,  I  should  do  it  most  assuredly. 

"You  say  that  Mrs.  E complains  that  surgeons 

are  never  alluded  to  after  a  battle.  No!  why  should 
they  be?  Poor  benighted  soul!  did  any  one  di'eam 
for  a  moment  that  a  surgeon's  field  had  aught  of  glory 
about  it?  No!  The  glory  consists  of  carnage  and 
death.  The  more  bloody  the  battle,  the  greater  the 
glory.  A  surgeon  may  labor  harder,  must  labor  longer 
(we  continued  to  fight  three  days),  may  exhibit  a 
higher  grade  of  skill,  may  exercise  the  best  feelings  of 

157 


158  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

our  poor  human  nature,  may  bind  up  many  a  heart  as 
well  as  limb,  but  who  so  poor  as  to  do  him  honor? 
There  is  no  glory  for  our  profession. 

"We  may  brave  the  pestilence  when  all  others  flee; 
we  may  remain  firm  at  our  posts  when  death  is  more 
imminent  than  it  ever  was  on  the  battle  field;  but  who 
sings  our  praise !  Does  the  world  know  who  the  phy- 
sicians were  who  fell  at  Norfolk  when  yellow  fever 
depopulated  that  town?  Does  it  know  who  rushed  in 
to  fill  their  places?  And  of  those  who  sur^dved,  can  it 
designate  one?  Did  they  survive  to  receive  fame? 
Yet  those  men  were  braver  than  the  bravest  military 
leader,  for  theirs  was  a  bravery  unsupported  by  excite- 
ment or  by  the  hope  of  fame.  No!  there  are  none  so 
poor  as  to  do  us  reverence.  And,  thank  God,  there  are 
few  of  us  so  unsophisticated  as  to  expect  it." 


CHAPTEE    FIFTEENTH. 

"Camp  neae  Faie  Oaks,  Va., 
''June  7fh,  1862. 
^^  T  T  is  a  week  since  the  battle !  and  still  we  have  made 
^      no  apparent  progress.       Matters  seem  to  ns  here 
on  the  ground  just  as  they  did  then,  and  it  requires  not 
a  little  patience  to  keep  from  fretting.     This  being  so,  I 
do  not  wonder   at  the  tone  of  your  letter  dated  May 
30th,  the  day  after  the  battle.     But  try 
not  to  be  influenced  if  people  do  say  McClellan  is  so 
slow;  that  'he  is  always  a  day  too  late'.     I  assert  with- 
out the  possibility  of  a  truthful  contradiction,  that  he 
has  never  yei  been  a  day  too  late. 

"Six  weeks  ago  Halleck  fought  the  battle  of  Pitts- 
burg Landing,  which  was  similar  in  many  respects  to 
the  one  we  fought  a  week  ago.  Both  were  a  surprise, 
both  were  unf avorable  to  the  Union  cause  on  the  fii'st 
day,  and  in  both  the  Confederates  were  routed  on  the 
second.  After  that,  a  battle  was  supposed  necessarily 
to  follow  speedily  upon  the  first,  but  it  did  not; 
weeks  went  by,  and  now  we  just  hear  that  the  rebels 

159 


160  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

have  fled  and  Halleck  is  after  them  and  has  cut  theii' 
line  of  retreat,  it  being  a  railroad,  taken  many  pris- 
oners, etc. 

"Now,  did  not  Halleck  know  better  what  he  was 
about  than  anybody  else?  Has  not  his  time  been  well 
spent  ?  He  has  gained  a  greater  victory  than  he  possi- 
bly could  have  done  by  a  battle.  So  here,  McClellan 
and  his  associates  know  their  business  and  will  fully 
perform  their  duty,  and  if  there  is  delay  there  is  a  good 
reason  for  it,  even  if  the  world  does  not  know  it.  Who 
can  be  more  impatient  than  I,  to  get  out  of  this  ?  You 
could  answer  these  cavilers  when  they  open  on  Mc- 
Clellan, by  quoting  Halleck's  delay  .... 
Let  these  civilians  leave  their  dressing-robes,  their 
dining-rooms  and  couches  and  take  the  field!  Perhaps 
then  it  would  be  different. 

"I  often  picture  to  myself  the  joy  of    our  reunited 
home ;  the  circle  in  which  our  childi*en  form  their  part 
of  the  grouping.      .  .  .  .  .1  hardly 

know  what  kind  of  a  letter  this  is.  I  have  been  con- 
stantly interrupted  since  it  was  begun.  I  close  with  a 
feeling  of  confusion  which  to  me  is  unusual.  But  I 
am  clear  on  one  point."  ..... 


memorial  sketches.  161 

"Camp  at  Fair  Oaks, 
"  Tuesday,  June  10th,  1862. 

"I  msli  you  could  give  me  the  name  of  that  Michi- 
gan Fifth  soldier  who  mourned  because  the  Fifth  could 
fight  no  more!  Judd  is  truly  heroic.  His  nerval 
force,  if  I  may  so  express  it,  gives  such  a  support  to 
his  physical,  that  it  enables  him  to  sustain  an  injury 
with  less  shock  than  any  man  I  have  ever  seen.  •  His 
brother  Captain  Judd,  said  to  be  equally  brave,  was 
killed.  It  was  probably  a  mistake  about  Dr.  Johnson 
being  taken  prisoner,  for  I  have  heard  that  he  sent  to 
the  Sanitary  Commission  for  supplies,  having  lost 
everything,  even  his  personal  effects. 

"You  say  that  the  last  battle  has  disappointed  you, 
as  we  have  gained  nothing.  In  this  you  are  mistaken. 
The  enemy,  finding  we  were  closing  up  around  them 
and  getting  ready  to  make  regular  approaches,  made  a 
very  powerful  and  desperate  attempt  to  break  through 
our  lines.  They  failed !  Is  this  no  success  ?  But  now 
we  have  advanced  our  pickets  at  this  very  point,  and  at 
others  have  advanced  the  position  of  the  whole  force. 
Everything  is  progressing. 

"You  ask  why  we  did  not  make  a  dash  upon  Rich- 
mond while  the  enemy  retreated!  I  do  not  know  what 
McClellan's  reasons  were,  but  I  can  tell  you  my  own 

impressions.     The  enemy  is  in  strong  force  before  us; 
11 


162  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

the  obstruction  to  our  progress,  the  Chickahominy, 
prevents  our  making  a  simultaneous  movement; 
Porter's  portion  of  the  army  is  not  yet  across,  nor 
would  it  be  safe  yet  to  abandon  that  point,  for  it  would 
enable  the  Confederates  to  tui'n  our  right  flank  and  cut 
off  our  supplies. 

"It  is  possible  that  a  dark  night  would  have  been 
successful,  but  it  is  equally  possible  that  it  would  have 
ruined  us.  Now,  what  was  McClellan's  duty  in  these 
premises?  One  false  step  costs  us  oui*  Nationality. 
Let  those  who  bear  the  responsibility,  judge  for  them- 
selves. It  is  cruel  to  do  otherwise.  McClellan  cannot 
escape  the  responsibility  of  this  campaign,  and  it  is 
wrong  to  constantly  stir  up  dissatisfaction.  You  can- 
not possibly  be  more  impatient  than  I  am  for  the  cap- 
ture of  Richmond,  but  it  will  do  no  good  to  fret  about 
delays.     There  are  no  unnecessary  delays. 

"  You  ask  about  my  every-day  life.  Charlie  left  me 
at  Yorktown.  Since  then  I  have  had  no  cook  but  the 
hospital  cook,  and  if  I  had,  I  have  nothing  to  cook!  I 
assure  you  it  is  a  hard  life  for  one  who  appreciates  a 
good  dinner;  but,  n^imporie^  I  trust  I  shall  be  able  to 
stand  it." 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 


163 


"  Camp  in  Another  Swamp, 
''June  13ih,  1862. 

"  For  the  last  two  days  I  have  been  engaged  in  the 
discharge  of  duties  arising  from  a  change  of  location. 

I  find  a  little  leisiu'e  to-day,  and 
with  it  has  come  another  letter  from  you ;  it  is  the  one 
written  after  your  meeting  Dr.  J .  He  was  fortu- 
nate in  being  with  a  comparatively  small  army  and  one 
that  was  fitted  out  at,  and  marched  from  Washington. 
Rules  as  to  means  of  transportation  and  baggage  were 
not  so  strict  as  they  otherwise  would  have  been.  He 
was  fortunate  also          .            .            .  But  enough 

said  on  this  point.     I  shall  come  through  it  all  right. 

"  I  anticipate  hard  fighting  before  we  occupy  Rich- 
mond, and  then  I  anticipate  a  speedy  termination  of  the 
active  portion  of  the  war.  I  don't  believe  our  regi- 
ment or  any  other  will  be  called  into  very  active  service 
after  Richmond  is  taken.  We  are,  as  I  intimated,  in 
an  unhealthy  location.  We  are  now  to  the  left  of  the 
battle-field  and  in  a  swamp!  I  am  half  a  mile  to  the 
rear,  on  pretty  good  ground,  with  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  several  regiments  of  the  brigade.  It  is  at 
this  point  an  operating  depot  ought  to  be  established, 
should  we  have  an  engagement  here,  and  yesterday  for 
a  few  hours,  one  appeared  imminent. 


164:  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"  I  think  McClellan  will  make  an  advance  on  Rich- 
mond soon;  everything  seems  to  indicate  that  he  is 
nearly  ready  to  make  the  first  combined  move  in  the 
game.  What  the  subsequent  moves  will  be  will  of 
course  depend  upon  the  resistance  of  the  enemy.  My 
own  belief  is  that,  after  an  advance,  we  shall  be  obliged 
to  begin  a  regular  approach  by  a  system  of  parallels. 
If  we  find  the  city  as  strongly  guarded  by  defensive 
works  as  it  is  represented,  such  undoubtedly  will  be  the 
plan;  but  if  not,  then  a  dash  may  carry  all  before  us. 
God  grant  we  may  be  successful  without  great  loss  of 
life!" 

"Before  Richmond, 
'■^Monday  Morning,  June  23rd,  1862. 

"  I  suspect  that  the  Confederates  are  evacuating 
Richmond ;  at  least  we  see  evidences  this  morning  that 
something  of  the  kind  is  being  done.  They  have 
retired  from  our  front,  and  whether  it  is  a  strategic 
movement  or  whether  it  is  the  same  all  along  the  line, 
is  not  yet  known  here.  God  grant  that  they  may 
evacuate!  I  had  much  rather  such  would  be  the  case 
than  that  we  should  capture  the  city  and  twenty  thou- 
sand prisoners  by  the  loss  of  ten  thousand  lives. 

"  Now  for  the  reason  of  this  preference.  Should 
we  have  a  battle  and  capture  the  city  and  twenty  thou- 


MEMOKIAL   SKETCHES. 


165 


sand  prisoners,  and  kill  and  wound  ten  thousand,  that 
would  make  their  loss  thirty  thousand.  If  they  have 
one  hundred  thousand,  that  would  leave  them  seTenty 
thousand  who  would  be  in  good  moral  condition.  If. 
on  the  contrary,  they  skedaddle  and  the  whole  one 
hundred  thousand  get  away,  they  will  be  so  demoralized 
by  the  retreat  that  they  won't  be  worth  fifty  thousand, 
while  there  will  be  the  full  one  hundred  thousand  to 
feed,  and  clothe,  and  control.  The  probability,  how- 
ever, is,  whatever  the  appearance  may  be,  that  they  have 
not  run.''^  ..... 

"Camp  Affliction,  Juhj  llih,  1862. 
"I  am  sitting  in  my  ambulance,  to  which  I  have 
been  almost  confined  for  eleven  days.  On  the  first  day 
of  July  I  gave  up  and  took  to  the  ambulance.  I  fought 
as  long  as  I  could  against  it,  but  finally  had  to  succumb. 
I  sent  in  my  resignation  on  the  third  day,  but  at  this 
rate  I  shall  get  my  returns  about  the  first  of  August." 

The  above  paragraph  is  from  a  long  letter,  the  last 
the  doctor  wrot^  from  the  army.  It  refers  to  the 
trouble  he  had  in  getting  his  resignation  accepted. 


I   remember    an    incident    Doctor    Gunn    repeated 
about   the    thoughtfulness    of   his    boy    at    Harrison's 


166  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

Landing,  while  he  was  confined  to  his  ambulance  for 
eleven  days  or  more.  Beef,  it  was  almost  impossible 
to  procure.  Glyndon  learning  that  slaughtering  was 
going  on  at  head-quarters,  proceeded  to  the  spot, 
hoping  to  be  able  to  get  something  for  his  father.  I 
do  not  remember  whether  he  arrived  too  late,  or  just 
what  the  reasons  were,  but  he  was  unsuccessful. 

Noticing  a  quantity  of  entrails  which  had  been 
discarded,  to  which  small  pieces  of  liver  still  adhered, 
he  took  out  his  knife  and  cut  as  much  as  he  could 
possibly  carry  in  his  hands.  When  he  appeared  be- 
fore his  father  with  the  tiny  bits  protruding  from 
between  his  fingers,  the  doctor  said  he  could  have  cried, 
and  fully  appreciated  then  what  his  boy  was  to  him. 
Glyndon  cooked  and  served  the  savory  meal,  the  first 
the  doctor  had  relished  for  weeks,  the  sentiment  and 
practicality  enhancing  its  value  and  his  enjoyment. 


The  following  letter  appeared  in  the  "Detroit  Free 
Press:" — 


LETTER  FROM  DR.   GUNN. 


"  We  are  permitted  to  copy  the  following  extract 
from  a  private  letter  written  by  Dr.  Moses  Gunn.  It 
will  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  wretched  manage- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  167 

ment  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac : — 

"  Baltimore,  July  14th,  1862. 

"  I  have  been  to  Gettysburg,  where  I  remained  two 
days.  I  was  too  late  to  do  much  surgery,  but  saw 
many  of  the  Michigan  wounded,  and  dressed  many  of 
their  wounds.  I  dressed  Colonel  Flannigan's  stump 
twice;  he  is  doing  well. 

"  The  battle  was  a  most  terrible  one,  and  victory 
wavered  in  the  air  before  she  finally  perched  upon  our 
banners.  The  loss  on  both  sides  was  fearful!  The 
medical  department  was  wretchedly  managed.  I  have 
never  seen  such  inadequate  provisions.  Many  a  poor 
fellow  lay  out  five  or  six  days  before  being  brought  in. 
As  I  have  often  said,  the  Medical  Director  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  has  not  capacity  to  administer  its  affairs, 
and  now  he  is  so  narrow  and  jealous  in  his  views  as  to 
prevent  others  from  rendering  him  the  assistance  they 
otherwise  might. 

"Medical  Inspector  Johnson  volunteered  his  serv- 
ices in  providing  for  the  emergency,  but  Letterman 
said  '  All  needful  preparations  are  made,  sir ' ;  and  this 
when  but  a  scanty  medical  corps  was  left  behind,  with 
so  small  a  supply  of  instruments  as  to  necessitate  the 
borrowing  of  the  same  by  the  officers  fi'om  one  another. 


168  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"Only  about  thirty  ambulances  were  left  behind  to 
transport  the  thousands  of  wounded,  who  were  scattered 
over  a  space  at  least  of  five  miles  in  diameter.  For 
two  days  there  were  literally  no  pro^dsions,  and  until 
the  last  four  days  no  organization,  and  but  an  imperfect 
one  now.  It  is  simply  sheer  incapacity  coupled  with 
inordinate  conceit  to  which  this  all  is  to  be  attributed. 

"  I  am  now  going  to  the  front  where  a  battle  is 
hourly  expected.  If  it  comes  off,  I  hope  I  may  be  able 
to  do  some  good;  if  not  I  shall  return  soon." 


CHAPTER    SIXTEENTH. 

TTTHEN  Doctor  Gunn  arriyed  in  Washington  he  was 
'  '  worn  and  thin,  and  a  mere  shadow  of  himself. 
Glyndon,  though  not  the  rosy-cheeked  boy  he  was 
when  he  left  Alexandria  in  the  Spring,  had  endnred 
the  hardships  better.  The  change  of  climate  and  food 
was  invigorating.  After  a  few  weeks  had  elapsed,  the 
doctor  returned  to  Detroit  and  resumed  practice.  He 
once  more  established  us  in  our  home,  where  he  enjoyed 
his  garden  of  fruits  and  flowers  and  a  small  green- 
house that  required  little  care  and  afforded  him  the 
greatest  satisfaction  in  seeing  camellias  and  roses  of 
his  ovm.  in  bloom. 

He  had  a  superb  greyhound,  a  lively  and  mischiev- 
ous ornament  on  the  place,  whose  ruthless  disregard 
for  young  shoots  and  buds  brought  down  upon  him 
the   doctor's   vengeance,   but  still  the    hound    roamed 

unscathed.     When   dressed    in    a   suit   of   G 's   or 

W 's  clothes,  he  was  the  most  ludicrous  spectacle 

one  could  well  behold.     E in  one  of  her  letters 

relates  her  first  experience  on  seeing  him: — "I  have 

169 


170  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

seen  a  large  greyhound  run  in  habiliments,  and  still 
survive !  Yesterday  my  cousins  came  in  and  announced 
that  '  Pike  was  ready  to  run.'  This  sport  which  the 
boys  aptly  call  '  a  torture  of  fun'  came  near  killing  me. 
The  dog  began  to  race,  and  I  to  laugh, — he  tore  up  and 
down  the  street,  and  jumped  fences,  his  costume  flap- 
ping in  the  breeze.  Finally,  when  disappearing  over  a 
neighboring  gate,  and  in  a  second  bounding  back  again 
with  a  loaf  of  bread  in  his  mouth!  I  thought  I  was 
dying.  But  at  this  moment  of  collapse,  uncle  drove 
up  and  the  responsibility  of  my  future  devolved  upon 
him." 

The  color  of  this  hound  was  a  light  soft  grey;  he 
was  beautiful  and  of  gentle  breed,  but  unfortunately 
a  thief!  The  choicest  joints,  if  unwatched,  were 
spirited  away;  our  bread,  like  that  of  our  neighbors, 
ignominiously  disappeared.  When  pastry  was  placed 
on  the  sideboard,  the  knave  walked  in,  and  when  he 
walked  out,  battlements  of  pastry  with  embrasures, 
alone  remained. 

We  were  finishing  our  soup,  when  the  alann  reached 
us  that  the  more  substantial  part  of  our  dinner  was  in 
Pike's  mouth!  We  rushed  to  the  scene  of  his  struggles 
with  a  large  hot  turkey  (we  all  wished  it  had  been 
hotter),  that  burned  him  in  his  frantic  efforts  to  drag 
it  to  the  general  hiding-place  of  his  stolen  treasures. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  171 

The  doctor's  tolerance  seemed  wonderful,  but  he  was 
fond  of  animals  and  especially  clement  to  this  hound, 
though  he  said  he  sometimes  felt  like  annihilating  him. 

In  the  plenitude  of  his  affection  for  horses,  the 
doctor  peiToitted  those  that  were  intelligent  to  do  re- 
sponsible things  by  themselves.  He  had  a  young, 
high-spirited  but  perfectly  reliable  animal,  possessing 
unusual  instincts,  the  only  drawback  being  that  she  was 
piebald !  As  an  illustration  of  her  gentleness  and 
ingenuity,  she  was  always  allowed  to  take  herseK  and 
the  chaise  to  the  stable.  It  needed  some  engineering 
to  cross  the  platform  that  spanned  the  gutter.  Some- 
times missing  her  calculations,  and  finding  she  was  not 
going  to  strike  the  little  bridge  squarely,  she  would 
stop,  reconnoiter,  back  a  few  steps,  veer  towards  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street,  and  by  this  modus  operandi 
pass  securely  over. 

Starting  one  day  as  usual  (with  the  chaise),  she  dis- 
covered some  obstruction  in  the  alley.  Halting,  she 
appeared  to  consider  a  moment,  then  with  head  high  in 
air  took  her  way  up  Shelby  street,  turned  on  Fort,  then 
down  Wayne,  entering  the  alley  at  the  other  end  which 
opened  upon  that  street.  She  had  gone  a  distance  of 
more  than  two  blocks,  watched  by  those  who  knew  her. 
being  conspicuous  by  her  beautiful  white  mane  and 
tail  and  stylish  appearance. — albeit  she  was  speckled! 


172  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

The  doctor  had  five  nieces  only;  they  belonged  to 
one  family,  were  his  brother's  children,  and  rejoiced 
in  a  superior  mother.  One  of  these  nieces  happened 
to  be  present  during  an  initiatory  undertaking  of 
which  she  writes  facetiously  to  one  of  her  sisters: — 

"  .  .  .  .  .  Uncle   Doctor 

had  resolved  upon  having  if  possible  a  comfortable  as 
well  as  a  perfectly  fitting  boot,  and  as  a  preliminary 
step  proposed  to  take  a  cast  of  his  foot.  I  wish  you 
had  been  here  the  evening  he  appeared  with  a  box  of 
plaster-of-paris  and  announced  to  us  his  intentions. 
Although  he  had  never  (like  a  certain  illustrious  his- 
torical personage)  performed  elaborate  toilettes  in  the 
presence  of  royalty,  he  did  proceed  to  accomplish  the 
act  of  taking  a  cast  of  his  foot  in  the  presence  of  his 

family,   niece    included.       Aunt    A did  not  enter 

with  much  zeal  into  the  enterprise,  but  the  children — 
two  of  them — were  delighted  when  pressed  into  the 
service  of  supplying  the  delicate  mortar. 

"He  secured  his  position  at  a  comfortable  angle, 
and  all  was  going  on  smoothly  we  supposed,  when 
suddenly  springing  to  his  feet  he  cried,  'By  George!  I 
can't  stand  this!'  and  like  showers  of  hail,  the  frag- 
ments of  plaster  flew  to  the  four  corners  of  the  room. 
My  aunt  was  now  as   attentive  as  before  she  had  been 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  173 

indifferent.  We  plied  him  with  more  questions  than  he 
could  answer,  but  in  a  general  way  gathered  that  the 
tumult  had  been  caused  by  setting -piaster !  The  debris 
of  the  disaster  was  removed  and  we  subsided  into  our 
normal  condition  for  the  evening. 

"A  few  days  after  this,  Uncle  came  in,  holding  up 
rather  triumphantly  a  perfect  and  shapely  cast  of  his 
foot,  that  he  had  taken  unaided  in  his  office,  and  said: 
'There  is  the  result  of  a  torturing  experience;  had  I 
shaved  my  foot  and  ankle  the  other  night,  I  should  not 
have  been  defeated.^'''' 


CHAPTER   SEVEl^TEENTH. 

/^"^  LYNDON'S  companionship  in  the  army,  and  a 
^  thousand  other  fond  associations  had  endeared 
him  to  his  father.  During  the  last  few  weeks  in  the 
army  he  had  been  of  the  greatest  comfort  to  his  father, 
and  lie  had  now  become  useful  and  important  to  him 
in  many  ways. 

The  year  before  Doctor  Gunn  went  to  Chicago  to 
remain  permanently,  he  was  called  in  that  direction 
to  see  some  one  who  had  been  injured  on  the  Michigan 
Central  railroad.  During  his  absence  of  thirty-six 
hours,  that  fearful  accident  occurred,  by  which  Glyndon 
was  drowned!  He  had  been  seen  to  go  down,  and  that 
was  the  last !  We  were  in  a  bewildering  state  of  despair, 
but  there  was  no  escape  fi'om  our  sorrow!  Who  could 
meet  the  doctor  and  tell  him  his  boy  was  drowned? — 
His  boy, — for  whom  he  belieyed  that  no  ambition  would 
be  too  great,  no  achievement  impossible!  The  blow 
fell  with  crushing  weight  upon  him, — it  was  pitiful  to 
see  him  struggle  with  his  grief,  and  more  pitiful  were 
the  sad  circumstances  he  afterward  encountered. 

174 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  175 

He  said,  "Never  while  memory  lasts  can  I  forget 
the  hoTir,  when  searching  hopelessly  for  some  resem- 
blance, I  laid  that  poor  swollen  hand  within  my  own 
and  nibbed  it  ( God  knows  how  long ! )  until  I  found  a 
little  scar,  that  could  alone  identify  my  boy !  I  might 
have  known  his  golden  waving  hair — ^but  it  was  damp — 
and  straight — and  unrecognizable!  " 

It  was  the  most  oppressively  hot  day  of  that 
Summer  that  Glyndon  went  down  to  his  boat-house, 
accompanied  by  Highland,  a  sei-vant.  to  whom  he  pro- 
posed that  they  should  cross  the  river.  The  man, 
timid  and  unable  to  row,  refused  at  first,  but  afterward 
consented:  he  was  tall,  muscular  and  heavy,  and  the 
boy  did  all  the  rowing.  Highland  thus  unoccupied, 
was  more  than  anxious  to  reach  the  Canadian  shore. 
Landing  at  Sandwich,  he  protested  that  he  would 
never  go  back  in  the  boat. 

Glyndon  then  said:  "Well,  Highland,  if  you  won't 
go  back  with  me,  wait  here  while  I  row  out  into  the 
stream  and  take  a  little  swim!"  At  that  point  where 
he  jumped  from  his  boat,  the  river  had  a  strong  and 
dangerous  current.  He  was  seen  to  once  re-enter  the 
boat  and  to  dive  the  second  time;  then  it  drifted  away 
out  of  his  reach,  and  that  was  the  last ! 


176  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

The  following  lines  are  taken  from  a  notice  in  the 
"Detroit  Free  Press"  of  that  date: — 

"The  unfortunate  death  of  Glyndon  Gunn by  drown- 
ing, a  brief  notice  of  which  appeared  in  our  paper 
yesterday,  requires  more  than  a  simple  passing  notice. 
He  was  at  the  time  of  his  death,  about  sixteen  years  of 
age,  and  was,  in  many  respects,  a  young  man  of  remark- 
able promise.  For  originality  of  intellect,  strength 
and  vigor  of  mind  and  power  of  analysis,  he  had,  per- 
haps, few  equals  of  his  age;  and  he  was  noted  no  less 
for  his  singular  urbanity  of  manners  and  gentlemanly 
bearing  towards  all  with  whom  he  was  brought  in  con- 
tact, than  for  his  intellectual  vigor.  Such,  indeed,  was 
the  maturity  of  his  intellect,  and  the  soundness  of  his 
judgment,  that  he  became  the  companion  of  men  far  in 
advance  of  his  years. 

"  During  the  recent  rebellion  he  accompanied  his 
father  to  the  field,  and  was  with  him  during  four  months 
of  the  Peninsular  campaign.  The  officers  and  soldiers 
of  Berry's  brigade,  more  particularly  the  Fifth  Eegi- 
ment  of  Michigan  Infantry,  will  remember  the  lad  of 
then  scarcely  twelve  years  of  age,  who,  riding  upon  his 
pony,  made  the  campaign  with  them  from  Fortress 
Monroe  to  the  front  of  Kichmond,  and  subsequently, 
in  their  retreat  to  Harrison's  Landing.  He  will  be 
remembered  by  many  a  grateful  soldier  who  will  drop 


MEMOKIAL   SKETCHES.  177 

a  tear  over  his  early  death,  as  the  lad  who,  with  un- 
wearied  exertion,    contributed  to  the  comfort  of    the 
famishing  soldiers  at  the  memorable  battle  of  Williams- 
bui'g.  ..... 

"The  river  had  peculiar  fascinations  for  him.  Pos- 
sessed of  remarkable  mechanical  genius,  he  had  had 
constructed,  after  a  model  of  his  own  devising,  a  beau- 
tiful little  craft,  and  this  it  was  which  led  him  to  the 
river,  and  to  a  sad  and  untimely  death." 


12 


CHAPTER  EIGHTEEIN'TH. 

AFTEK  the  death  of  Dr.  Daniel  Brainard,  the  dis- 
tinguished surgeon  who  had  been  so  long  identi- 
fied with  Eush  Medical  College,  Doctor  Gunn  was 
tendered  the  chair  of  sui'gery,  which  having  accepted, 
he  came  to  Chicago  to  reside.  At  the  inauguration  of 
the  new  buildings  on  the  North  Side,  there  was  a  large 
audience  present,  showing  the  general  interest  felt  in 
the  institution. 

The  President  of  the  College,  Professor  J.  Y.  Z. 
Blaney,  delivered  the  opening  address,  giving  a  brief 
review  of  the  history  of  the  institution,  and  speaking 
in  the  warmest  terms  of  admiration  and  praise  of  its 
lamented  founder,  and  late  president,  Professor  Daniel 
Brainard.  This  was  followed  by  a  short,  characteristic 
speech  by  the  Hon.  J.  B,  Eice  (Mayor  of  Chicago), 
which  was  received  with  much  applause. 

Doctor  Gunn  then  gave  the  welcoming  address  to 
the  assemblage,  which  may  have  some  interest  after  all 
these  years,  to  the  alumni  and  to  others  who  were  once 
his  friends. 

178 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  179 

He  said: — "In  belialf  of  my  colleagues,  I  bid  you 
welcome!  Welcome  to  Chicago,  the  Young  Giant  of 
the  West!  Welcome  to  Eush  Medical  College,  and  to 
these  halls  which  we  this  day  dedicate  to  science  and 
to  humanity! 

"You  compose  the  twenty-fifth  class  which  has 
annually  assembled  here,  on  what  has  become  classic 
ground,  seeking  after  truth  in  medicine;  truth  ever 
simple  and  yet  often  elusive;  which  lies  not  unfre- 
quently  immediately  before  us,  while  with  strained 
vision  we  attempt  to  pierce  the  dim  and  smoky  distance 
to  discern  it;  which  from  its  very  simplicity  is  often- 
times completely  hidden  from  a  search  which  looks  for 
it  enshrined  in  deep  and  difficult  mystery  only. 

"  Annually  for  the  past  twenty-five  years,  in  search 
of  this  gem  have  your  predecessors  come^  up  hither ; 
with  what  success  let  their  individual  history  in  the 
teeming  north-west,  with  its  cities,  villages,  and  ex- 
panded plains,  and  its  ever  increasing  population,  and 
also  during  the  late  protracted  and  bloody  war,  tell. 

"  Twenty -five  years  I  In  the  longest  life  an"extended 
measure;  in  the  history  of  human  events,  a  pitiful 
period;  and  yet,  in  the  early  history  of  a  city  or  a 
nation,  how  important!  And  if  measured  by  what  is 
sometimes  accomplished,  how  the   little   quarter  of  a 


180  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

century    seems   to    sink   its    fractional    character    and 
assume  the  dignity  of  the  full  and  unbroken  unit. 

"  Measured  by  her  growth  and  achievements,  Chi- 
cago might  well  rise  to  the  full  period  of  a  century! 
What  was  she  when  the  first  little  class  assembled  here 
under  the  auspices  of  the  then  infant  college  ?  An  old 
military  post  on  the  extreme  north-western  frontier  had 
but  recently  become  recognized  as  a  town.  Westward 
stretched  the  rich  and  undulating  plain,  on  to  the 
Father  of  Waters.  Eastward  the  great  chain  of  lakes 
afforded  communication  with  the  older  cities  of  the 
continent.  The  plodding  team  of  the  emigrant,  and 
the  mail  of  our  venerable  and  common  Uncle  Samuel, 
transported  as  the  exigences  of  the  season  and  condi- 
tion of  the  roads  would  permit,  constituted  the  only 
means  of  communication. 

"Nestling  on  either  side  of  the  bayou  lay  the  infant 
city.  No  broad  avenues  stretched  off  for  miles  over 
the  plain,  but  low  upon  the  oozy  surface  of  the  original 
prairie  lay  the  yet  limited  streets.  Reared  upon  posts 
stood  the  young  city,  the  whole  aspect  verifying  the 
need  which  found  expression  at  a  later  date,  when  the 
characteristic  enterprise  of  the  inhabitants  rendered 
the  idea  not  wholly  improbable,  to-wit:  Issuing  propo- 
sals and  inviting  bids  for  a  young  earthquake  to  elevate 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  181 

the   site  to  a  desirable  altitude.     Xo  raihvay  network 
stretched  out  to   the   boundless  regions   on  all  sides, 
bringing  to  a  common  center  the  more  than   Indian 
wealth  of  the  country,  and  making  here  a  granary  for 
half  the  world.    No  temples  of  trade  crowded  compactly 
the  streets,  and  upward  towered  for  more  ample  accom- 
modation.    No  tunnel,  at  once  the  wonder  and  triumph 
of  art,  penetrated  for  miles  under  the  majestic  lake  to 
draw  from  its  crystal  fountain  health  and  happiness  for 
half  a  million. 

"No  medical  halls  like  these  we  this  day  dedicate, 
invited  such  a  class  as  we  now  welcome;  and  no  ^scu- 
lapian  orator  had  caught  the  spirit  of  place-glorification, 
which  outside  barbarians  assert   to  be  the  sign  diag- 
nostic of  a  Chicagoan,  and  held  forth  to  the  fii'st  class 
here  assembled  with  that  peculiar  and  diagnostic  mod- 
esty.      .....       On  the  contrary,  a 

small  and  unpretending  building  occupied  the  spot;  a 
little  class  of  twenty-two  students  assembled  here,  and 
while  the  primary  faculty  were  honestly  and  earnestly 
and  successfully  initiating  this  great  enterprise,  they 
dared  not  dream  of  the  magnificent  future.  To  that 
first  faculty  I  would  here  acknowledge,  in  behalf  of  the 
whole  profession,  our  great  indebtedness.  But  one  of 
that  little  band  remains  mth  us,  and  he,  honored 
among  all,  is  our  crown  of  rejoicing. 


182  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"  But  if  on  this  ground  lias  grown  from  a  small 
beginning,  a  great  city  and  a  great  medical  college,  so 
that  as  compared  with  the  original,  the  present  appears 
to  be  a  full  fruition,  we  shall  find  that  change  and  im- 
provement are  not  confined  merely  to  city  and  college. 
The  science  and  art  of  medicine  and  surgery  has,  during 
the  period  which  we  are  contemplating,  made  such 
advances  as  to  elicit  the  admiration  of  him  who  watches 
its  history,  and  to  excite  the  pride  of  its  votaries. 
The  student  who  sat  under  the  first  course  of  lectures 
in  this  institution,  could  he  be  transported  over  the 
interval  without  having  participated  in  the  advance  of 
the  profession,  would  find  himself  utterly  bewildered 
and  unable  to  understand  much  that  he  would  hear  in 
the  course  of  instruction  now  given.  While  the  whole 
scientific  world  has  been  pressing  forward  in  pursuit  of 
undiscovered  truth,  medical  men  have  not  been  sur- 
passed in  industry  and  zeal,  nor  have  the  fruits  of  their 
labors  been  few  or  scanty. 

"In  chemistry  alone  a  new  science  has  almost  been 
created.  Old  fields  have  been  re-worked  and  new  ones 
explored;  and  not  content  with  the  elements  and  organ- 
isms of  the  earth  as  presented  in  its  great  laboratory, 
swallowing  up  bodily  the  new  science  of  geology,  and 
illustrating  that  its  evidences  are  but  the  result  of  chem- 
ical reactions  in  old  earth's  chronology,  the  chemist 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  1B3 

has  pushed  his  inyestigations  into  other  spheres  and  in 
his  spectral  analysis  vies  with  the  astTouomer  in  the 
study  of  those  remote  fields.  The  domain  and  labora- 
tory of  chemistiy  is  the  universe! 

"Within  this  period  the  microscope  has  mainly 
wrought  out  its  great  work,  and  histology  now  claims 
its  own  peculiar  dignity.  Under  its  ministrations,  too, 
physiology  and  pathology  have  extended  their  bounds 
and  refined  their  processes.  Physiology  then  was  dis- 
patched in  a  few  crude  lectures,  and  these  were  usually 
given  by  the  anatomist.  The  physiology  of  the  nervous 
action  had  then  to  offer  as  its  latest  and  brightest  work 
the  reflex-motor  action  of  Marshall  Hall,  which  the 
intelligent  physiologist  of  the  present  day  knows  to  be 
but  a  single  phenomenon  in  the  list  of  reflex  actions. 
The  reflex  influence  of  impressions  upon  organic 
changes, — nay,  the  reflex  influence  of  those  changes 
upon  other  functions  of  nutiition ;  and  the  reflex  influ- 
ence of  the  normal  processes  of  local  nutrition  upon 
one  another;  the  influence  of  mind  upon  matter  and 
matter  upon  mind  are  but  the  operation  of  the  same 
law.  An  elaborate  paper  announcing  the  discovery  of 
reflex  secretory  action  of  the  neiwous  system  was  pre- 
sented to  the  American  Medical  Association,  at  its 
session  in  1857,  by  Prof.  Campbell,  of  Georgia.  Mar- 
shall Hall,  himself,  admitted  the  discovery,  and  hailed 


184  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

it    as    a   twin   companion    of    his    own,   thus  publicly 
complimenting  his  young  American  brother. 

"  But  it  is  within  the  knowledge  of  your  speaker 
that  the  whole  subject  of  reflex  nervous  influences,  of 
which  excito-motor  and  excito-secretory  actions  are 
but  constituent  parts,  was  taught  as  early  as  1850  in 
the  UniYersity  of  Michigan  by  the  present  incumbent 
of  the  chair  of  medicine  in  this  institution,  Professor 
Allen.  In  his  teachings  and  writings,  too,  are  to  be 
found  the  only  explicit  and  comprehensive  exposition 
of  the  whole  subject  of  reflex  nervous  action  that  has 
ever  fallen  under  my  observation.  Fresh,  then,  were 
the  experiments  of  Beaumont  upon  the  stomach  of  the 
soldier,  Alexis  St.  Martin,  which,  interesting  and  valu- 
able as  they  were,  have  required  the  scrutiny  of 
subsequent  analysis  to  correct  many  of  the  first  conclu- 
sions and  to  expunge  not  a  few  gross  errors. 

"Therapeutics,  as  a  science,  has  almost  been  born 
within  this  period.  While  materia  medica  was  as 
colossal  (God  save  the  mark  ! )  then  as  now,  the  philos- 
ophy of  the  action  of  the  remedies,  not  mere  medicines, 
has  claimed  paramount  attention,  and  general  therapeu- 
tics to-day  commands  far  more  study  than  mere  materia 
medica.  Pharmacy,  the  hand-maid  of  materia  medica, 
as  taught  and  practiced  to-day,  would  hardly  be  recog- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  185 

nized  hj  a  member  of  the  profession  who  had  indulged 
in  a  Kip  Van  Winkle  nap.  Crude  processes  and  gross 
preparations  have  been  supplanted  by  delicate  manipu- 
lations and  the  active  principles  of  medicines.  The 
doctor  no  longer  bestrides  his  Kosinante  with  his 
pannier-like  saddle-bags  stuffed  with  the  crude  materiel, 
nor  does  the  table  in  the  sick-chamber  look  like  an 
apothecary's  counter.  Organic  chemistry  enables  the 
pharmaceutist  to  fill  our  prescriptions  with  efficient, 
concentrated  and  non-repulsive  remedies. 

"Practical  medicine  has,  also,  during  the  period 
which  we  are  considering,  undergone  a  no  less  marked 
change  and  improvement.  A  more  general  and  at  the 
same  time  clear,  definite,  and  intelligent  "vdew,  and 
application  of  nervous  influence  upon  normal  and  ab- 
normal action,  and  the  use  of  such  influence  in  allaying 
disease  and  promoting  health ;  a  more  confident  reliance 
on  inherent  recuperative  power,  and  the  ability  to 
excite,  control,  and  modify  that  power  and  marshal  its 
forces,  and  command  its  aid  in  the  cure  of  disease;  a 
much  more  guarded  resort  to  powerful  and  uncontrol- 
lable means  and  depleting  medicines;  a  growing 
tendency  to  look  to  the  general  conditions  of  nutrition 
as  a  means  of  cure,  as,  for  example,  in  the  management 
of  phthisis  and  kindred  conditions  of  the  system;  the 
influence  of  pure  air,  cleanliness,  and  light,  as  seen  in 


186  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

the  management  of  hospital  wards,  and  sick-chambers, 
in  private  dwellings — all  these  considerations  mark 
the  progress  in  medicine  since  the  days  when  Eberle 
wrote,  and  the  mass  of  the  profession  in  this  country 
followed  his  dii^ections,  or  if  differing  with  him,  still 
relied  as  confidently  as  he  on  the  mysterious  power  of 
medicine  to  combat  and  cure  disease. 

"Surgery,  too,  has  felt  the  influence  of  the  times. 
First  in  importance,  as  well  as  chronologically,  is  the 
discovery  of  a  means  of  producing  a  state  of  complete 
ansesthesia,  a  discovery  which  was  the  dawning  of  a 
new  era  in  surgery.  Not  merely  the  ability  to  perform 
operations  without  pain  to  the  patient,  or  even  to  per- 
form at  will  hitherto  almost  impossible  operations, 
constitutes  the  limits  of  this  discovery.  The  relaxa- 
tion which  attends  full  anaesthesia,  is  a  condition  of 
the  system  which  is  often-times  most  desirable  and 
which  was  formerly  sought  to  be  established,  in  many 
instances,  by  a  resort  to  nauseants,  venesection,  and  to 
the  hot  bath.  Unconsciousness  is,  at  the  same  time, 
frequently  desirable,  and  in  this  double  effect  are  the 
power  and  influence  of  anaesthetic  agents  at  once  grate- 
ful to  the  patient  and  valuable  to  the  surgeon.  The 
honor  of  this  discovery  is  American.  Whether  to  Drs. 
Wells,  Morton,  or  Jackson,  individually,  appertains  the 
immediate  credit,  it  is  not  my  purpose  to  inquire ;  it  is 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  187 

sufficient  that  it  belongs  to  the  period  of  time  which 
marks  onr  history,  and  that  it  is  American. 

"That  department  of  surgery  which  appertains  to 
the  eye  has  also  been  marked  with  the  most  note- 
worthy advances.  The  ophthalmoscope,  alone,  has 
wrought  great  changes.  It  has  opened  up  as  rich 
placers  as  did  the  stethoscope  of  Laennec  in  another 
department,  and  at  an  earlier  date.  Still  more  recently. 
the  laryngoscope  has  enlarged  our  means  of  observa- 
tion in  another  field:  while  the  endoscope,  with  still 
greater  entei*prise,  enables  us.  almost, 

"  'With  optics  sharp.  I  ween, 
To  see  what  is  not  to  be  seen.' 

"The  late  war  has  also  afforded  means  for  success- 
ful study,  which  have  not  been  neglected,  and  the 
accurate  obseiwations  in  reference  to  the  pathology  of 
pyaemia  and  hospital  gangrene,  have  resulted  in  such  a 
development  of  their  pathology,  as  to  direct  to  a 
rational  and  eminently  successful  treatment,  both  pro- 
phylactic and  curative.  In  all  departments  of  oui' 
profession,  progress  has  been  the  watchword,  and  in 
those  branches  which  more  nearly  approximate  the 
fixed  sciences,  and  which,  consequently,  afford  fewer 
opportunities  for  advancement,  improvement  in  method, 
and  refinement  in  process  have  been  as  marked  and 
decided,  as  discovery  has  been  in  others. 


188  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"But  I  liave  not  thus  alluded  to  the  achievements 
of  our  science  in  a  spirit  of  vainglory.  I  would  not 
underrate  the  labor  and  advance  of  any  period  previous 
to  the  last  quarter  of  a  century.  I  would  not  even 
attempt  a  comparison  which  might  be  deemed  invidi- 
ous, between  any  period  and  that  which  I  have  contem- 
plated. Each  century,  and  even  each  decade,  has  had 
its  OT\Ti  success  and  glory,  and  extended  along  through 
the  whole  history  of  medicine,  are  the  records  of  labor, 
some  plainly  saying  to  us,  'This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in 
it';  others,  like  beacon  lights,  warning  us  off  the  rocks 
and  sands  of  error.  And  so  it  must  continue  to  be. 
As  long  as  there  is  yet  a  truth  to  be  discovered,  many 
failures  to  a  single  success  must  occur.  But  for  every 
success  there  is  ample  reward,  though  accompanied  by 
a  thousand  failures. 

"I  have  indulged  in  the  line  of  thought  which  I 
have  followed,  rather  to  encourage  and  stimulate  hope- 
ful effort  on  your  part.  By  so  much  as  we  have 
advantage  over  those  who  have  preceded  us,  our  suc- 
cessors may  and  probably  will  realize  improvements 
upon  us.  Appreciation  of  ancient  truth  does  not 
demand  of  us  unbounded  credulity.  It  does  not 
require  us  to  accept  as  truth  all  that  is  ancient,  simply 
because  it  is  venerable;  neither  does  it  expect  us  to^ 
shut  our  eyes  upon  the  glory  of  the  present  because  it 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  189 

has  not  the  dust  of  ages  upon  it.  There  is  a  class  of 
men,  represented  largely  in  our  profession,  whose 
veneration  is  profound,  and  leads  them  to  see  no  good 
in  the  present,  except  that  it  was  born  in  the  past ;  who 
so  constantly  exclaim  '  There  is  nothing  new  under  the 
sun!'  From  such  veneration,  in  the  language  of  the 
Litany,  'Good  Lord  deliver  us.' 

"But,  on  the  other  hand,  appreciation  of  modem 
discovery  does  not  require  us  to  sneer  at  the  past 
because  its  measure  was  not  full:  nor  should  we  make 
the  mistake  of  regarding  our  own  period  as  the  culmi- 
nating point  in  the  history  of  medicine.  That  point 
will  never  be  reached.  The  grand  day  of  science  will 
have  no  declining  sun;  but  the  glorious  orb  of  truth 
will  ever  rise  higher  and  higher,  and  shine  with  ever 
increasing  refulgence,  until  the  universe  shall  be 
lighted.  When  shall  that  be?  When  all  shall  be 
known;  when  we  shall  know  even  as  we  are  known. 
Would  you  estimate  the  period  by  the  lapse  of  ages? 
Attempt  if  you  can  to  conceive  of  the  amount  yet 
unknown,  and  when  your  mind  can  begin  to  take  in 
that  conception,  then  commence  to  measui'e  the  day  of 
science.  We  are  yet  but  in  the  early  morning,  a  morn- 
ing to  be  succeeded  by  no  noon,  no  evening,  but  by  an 
ever  brightening  day. 

"With  this  conception  of  the   situation,  with  this 


190  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

idea  of  the  relation  of  the  present  to  the  future,  there 
is  no  ground  for  indulgence  in  vainglory;  for  vain 
indeed  would  be  any  glorification  which  forgets  for  a 
moment  the  littleness  of  the  present,  when  compared 
to  the  probabilities  of  the  future.  As  our  perceptions 
of  temperature  are  relative  only,  so  our  estimate  of  the 
present  state  of  science  must  be  relative.  It  may  be 
great  compared  with  the  past,  but  what  is  it  when  we 
look  forward  to  the  possibilities  of  the  future!  It  is 
yet  the  day  of  small  things,  and  our  pleasure  as  well 
as  our  duty,  should  be  to  work  earnestly,  as  oppor- 
tunity offers,  and  opportunity  is  not  rare;  we  can 
hardly  miss  it;  our  fault  is  rather  in  a  disposition  to 
select  from  the  mass,  than  to  avail  ourselves  of  that 
which  is  immediately  before  us.  Whatsoever  thy  hand 
findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might!  Work  is  and 
must  be  the  motto  and  lot  of  every  successful  man ;  it 
is  so  par  excellence,  with  the  student  in  the  science  of 
medicine. 

"  There  is  no  short  high  road  to  advanced  learning; 
but  by  study,  thought,  experiment,  and  observation, 
must  the  race  be  won. .  Most  medical  men  study  more 
or  less ;  they  are  also,  as  a  general  rule,  good  observers ; 
a  few  experiment,  but,  alas,  how  very  few  seem  to  think! 
and  I  confess  it  has  sometimes  occurred  to  me  that 
those  who  conduct  large  series  of  experiments  seem  to 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  191 

think  the  least.  I  have  spoken  of  medical  men  because 
I  am  speaking  to  you  who  are  to  become  such;  but  I 
would  not  be  understood  as  criticising  mj  professional 
brethren  as  peculiarly  disinclined  to  reflect;  this  re- 
mark applies  to  all  men. 

"Mankind  is  prone  to  accept  the  seeming  rather 
than  to  search  out  the  real ;  to  accept  a  received  expla- 
nation rather  than  laboriously  to  criticise  it.  It  is  not 
enough  to  study,  to  observe,  to  experiment;  we  must 
do  more;  and  in  this  connection  let  me  impart  this 
injunction: — Think!  Whatever  you  do,  think  I  Study, 
but  think!  Observe,  but  think!  And  especially,  if  you 
experiment,  think! 

"It  is  easy,  by  study,  to  possess  yourself  of  the 
thoughts  of  others,  to  appropriate,  assimilate  and  make 
them  your  own;  but  you  may  do  this  without  ever 
indulging  in  the  luxury  of  a  thought  of  youi'  own. 
You  may  observe  extensively,  and  yet,  like  a  crab,  you 
shall  even  go  backwards  for  not  pondering  well  upon 
what  you  have  observed.  Tou  may  experiment  till 
you  draw  down  upon  your  devoted  heads  the  persecu- 
tion of  a  sentimental  Bergh  and  his  co-laborers,  who 
are  themselves  examples  of  observation  without  thought, 
and  yet  never  penetrate  deeper  than  the  simple  fact  or 
phenomenon  which  is  the  immediate  result  of  yoiu' 
experiment. 


192  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"Therefore,  I  again  repeat,  think!  Think  for  your- 
selves; contract  the  habit  of  thinking,  and  with  the 
practice  will  come  increased  ability  to  study,  to  observe, 
and  if  you  choose,  to  experiment.  But  while  thought 
will  not  take  the  place  of  study  and  observation,  it  is 
the  soal  of  both.  Without  it,  either  study  or  observa- 
tion is  the  Adam  into  whom  the  breath  of  the  living 
spirit  has  not  yet  been  infused.  It  is  the  ovum  without 
fecundation,  destined  only  to  blight  and  decay.  But 
perhaps  I  should  be  more  explicit  in  this  injunction. 
Men  differ  in  intellectual  power,  and,  in  accordance 
with  this  general  proposition,  you  are  not  all  mentally 
equal.  To  one  is  awarded  only  mediocre  powers,  while 
on  another  are  bestowed  both  brilliancy  and  profundity. 
Neither  are  you  all  equally  advanced  in  education.  To 
some,  the  advantage  of  free  and  generous  culture  has 
been  abundantly  given,  while  others  are  struggling  in 
their  course  with  the  impediments  incident  to  an  im- 
perfect education.  In  medical  advancement  too,  you 
will  be  found  to  be  widely  different.  Some  are  but 
just  entering  upon  their  course,  while  others  are  well 
advanced,  and  are  more  or  less  familiar  with  all  matters 
appertaining  to  medical  and  surgical  science. 

"It  is  evident  that  the  ability  to  think  correctly 
and  advantageously  upon  the  various  subjects  of  your 
study    and   observation   will   vary   with    the   different 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  193 

orders  of  intellect,  and  the  varying  degrees  of  culture. 
Still  my  advice  applies  to  all.  None  need  be  so  defi- 
cient, if  at  all  qualified  to  pursue  medical  studies,  as  to 
accept  all  that  he  hears,  reads,  or  observes,  as  truth  so 
positive  and  unqualified  as  to  need  no  other  effort  of 
mind  than  that  involved  in  the  act  of  appropriation. 
The  merest  neophyte,  though  incapable  of  calling  in 
question  anything  that  is  presented  to  his  understand- 
ing, should,  by  earnest  thought,  endeavor  to  detect  the 
reason  for  whatever  he  hears,  or  reads,  or  observes. 
Not  only  will  this  mental  process  fix  the  subject  of  his 
thought,  and  constitute  in  itself  the  most  perfect 
means  of  assimilation,  but  it  will  prove  a  method  of 
mental  training  that  will  develop  power  and  facilitate 
future  effort. 

"As  the  student  advances  in  his  coui'se,  and  attains 
a  standard  of  acquirement  that  gives  him  a  stock  of 
well  established  and  undoubted  truths,  he  should,  in 
addition  to  the  search  for  the  reason  of  things,  compare 
his  results  with  these  standard  truths,  and  thus  another 
step  in  advance  is  taken.  His  stock  of  the  actual  is 
constantly  increasing ;  and  not  the  actual  only,  but  the 
reason  thereof,  and  the  relation  which  it  sustains  to 
other  facts  and  phenomena.  Prove  all  things,  hold 
fast  that  which  is  good.  Accept  nothing  because  you 
hear  it,  or  read  it,  or  even  see  it.      Subject  all  things 

13 


194  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

to  careful  mental  analysis,  and  finally,  believe,  not 
because  you  have  read,  heard,  or  seen,  but  because  it  is 
recommended,  pe*?'  se,  to  your  individual  judgment.  Let 
your  religious  belief  be  a  matter  of  faith,  but  let  me 
warn  you  against  receiving  your  scientific  creed  on  the 
same  basis. 

"Faith  is  an  excellent  quality  in  your  patient,  for 
oftentimes  he  will  be  obliged  to  indulge  in  the  sub- 
stance of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things  7iot 
seen ;  but  on  your  part  it  will  be  better  both  for  science 
and  humanity  that  you  believe  nothing,  literally  nothing, 
till  proven.  As  students  sitting  at  the  feet  of  your 
Gamaliel,  even  though  you  may  have  good  reason  to 
distrust  your  own  judgment,  and  feel  greater,  far 
greater,  confidence  in  the  author  you  read,  or  the  pro- 
fessor you  hear,  still  make  the  effort  to  go  through  the 
process  which  I  have  recommended,  before  finally  de- 
ferring and  believing.  You  will  thus  strengthen  your 
own  power  and  gradually  acquire  independence  and 
accuracy  of  thought.  You  will  acquire,  too,  the  power 
of  discrimination,  the  power  of  weighing  and  compar- 
ing- before  deciding.  The  medical  man  finds  a  great 
amount  of  conflicting,  or  apparently  conflicting  evi- 
dence, and  like  the  jurist,  he  must  weigh,  compare  and 
sift  out,  reject  this,  and  accept  that;  all,  too,  in  accord- 
ance with    established   law.       Thus  the  law  becomes 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  195 

purified  by  rejection,  and  amplified  and  perfected  by 
slow  crystallization.  Our  circle  of  knowledge  is  ex- 
panded and  the  domain  of  truth  is  enlarged. 

"Another  habit  of  thought  should  be  cultivated, 
yiz.,  the  seeking  after  the  soul  of  the  truth.  As  there 
is  a  soul  of  goodness  even  in  things  evil,  so  there  is  an 
innermost  kernel  to  all  subjects,  an  element  by  which 
and  through  which  they  dift'er  fi'om  all  other  similar 
subjects  with  which  they  might  be  confounded;  it  is  in 
virtue  of  this  element  that  truthfulness  exists.  A 
clear  and  definite  conception  of  this  element  only  will 
enable  you  to  master  a  given  subject;  and  so  long  as 
you  fail  to  detect  it,  the  real  truth  remains  hidden  from 
your  view.  A  loose,  general,  and  vague  idea  you  may 
have,  even  as  one  sees  an  object  through  a  foggy 
atmosphere,  without  being  able  to  discern  its  exact 
form,  its  individuality.  It  is  the  fault  of  many  minds 
to  be  satisfied  with  such  a  view,  and  to  neglect  the 
labor  incident  to  the  full  defining  of  the  picture.  It 
may  be  that  all  effort  will  fail  in  some  instances  to 
bring  out  the  details  clearly;  but  the  effort  should, 
nevertheless,  be  made  to  attain  a  clear  and  definite  per- 
ception of  what  I  have  termed  the  soul  of  the  truth. 

"To  illustrate: — Volumes  have  been  written,  and 
more  said  on  the  subject  of  inflammaiion;  all  the  phe- 
nomena thereof  have  been  enumerated  and  the  changes 


196  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

rung  on  them.  Concise  definitions  have  been  attempted 
and  criticised ;  and  by  some  it  has  been  said  that  such 
a  thing  as  a  correct  definition  of  the  subject  was  an 
impossibility.  All  observers,  of  any  experience  what- 
ever, recognize  an  inflammation  when  they  see  it,  and 
yet  many  fail  to  discern  in  just  what  it  consists.  Let 
us  now  make  an  effort  to  obtain  a  view  of  some  one 
circumstance  in  reference  to  inflammation,  by  which  it 
differs  fi'om  all  other  similar  conditions.  It  is  not  pain, 
heat,  redness,  nor  swelling,  nor  all  of  them  that  con- 
stitutes the  condition  under  consideration,  for  any  one 
or  even  all  of  them  may  be  present  without  the  part 
being  in  such  a  state. 

"  The  blush  which  mantles  the  cheek  of  shocked 
and  offended  modesty,  when  extreme,  may  cause  it  to 
burn  and  tingle  with  heat  and  pain,  while  the  actual 
engorgement  of  the  vessels  supplies  the  redness  and 
swelling.  Blood  may  flow  in  greatly  increased  quanti- 
ties fo  and  through  a  part,  invited  to  do  so  by  an 
increased  activity  of  normal  local  nutrition,  producing 
even  hypersemia.  This  may  serve  a  temporary  and 
useful  purpose,  examples  of  which  will  occur  to  the 
mind  of  any  medical  man ;  or,  it  may,  if  long  continued, 
result  in  hypertrophy  of  a  part;  but  so  long  as  the 
local  nutrition  is  only  stimulated  and  increased  in  ac- 
ti\dty,  so  long  as  the  advance  and  retrograde  changes 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  197 

exactly  balance  each  other,  there  is  no  inflammation. 
But  the  instant  that  this  active  hjpersemia  is  attended 
by  oppression  and  impairment  of  local  nutrition,  in- 
flammation begins,  and  in  this  impairment  or  suspension 
it  consists.  Just  so  soon  as  normal  local  nutrition  is 
again  established,  inflammation  has  ceased,  even  though 
active  hypersemia  may  yet  remain.  This  is  the  key  to 
the  whole  subject.     li  is  the  soul  of  ihe  indh. 

"Another  illustration: — You  attempt  the  study  of 
ulceration ;  you  read  author  after  author;  you  watch 
the  process  at  the  clinic,  and  the  probabilities  are  that 
you  will  obtain  a  confused  idea  of  disintegration  of 
tissue,  mortification  in  miniature,  and  absorption,  at- 
tended by  suppuration.  Confusion  worse  confounded  I 
But  careful  observation  of  the  process,  in  numerous 
instances,  and  correct  analysis  of  what  you  observe  and 
read  T\dll  clear  up  the  subject,  and  isolate  the  identical 
characteristic  of  ulceration.  Disintegration  of  tissue  in 
particles,  or  mortification  in  miniatui'e  is  not  ulceration, 
for,  pathologically,  mortification  is  the  same  whether 
in  miniature  or  on  a  colossal  scale.  Suppuration, 
although  a  frequent  attendant  on  ulceration,  is  not  a 
necessary  part  of  the  process.  By  obser^-ing  the 
ulcerative  process  you  will  see  that  tissue  disappears, 
sometimes  without  crumbling  away  by  mortification  in 
miniature    or    even   being    attended    by    suppuration. 


198  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

What  has  become  of  it?  It  is  not  volatile,  and  can  not 
have  vaporized;  only  one  other  method  of  disappear- 
ance is  left,  and  that  is  by  absorption;  an  absorption 
that  destroys  the  integrity  of  tissue;  and  here  we 
arrive  at  the  isolated  characteristic  of  ulceration,  viz., 
destructive  absorption  of  tissue.  In  this  it  consists 
and  in  no  other  process. 

"Thus,  you  should  think;  reflect  upon  each  and 
every  subject  which  you  enter  upon,  and  endeavor  to 
arrive  at  the  soul  of  the  truth. 

"  But  there  is  one  matter  especially  which  I  earn- 
estly recommend  you  to  carefully  consider  and  endeavor 
fully  and  perfectly  to  comprehend.  It  is  expressed 
in  the  answer  to  the  question.  What  is  disease,  and 
how  can  it  be  prevented,  alleviated,  cured?  I  do  not 
purpose  to  attempt  an  answer  to  this  question  at  this 
time.  That  answer  will  be  found  permeating  the  whole 
course  of  instruction  which  you  will  receive  in  this 
college. 

"But  I  warn  you  against  regarding  disease  as  a 
subtle  essence  which  invades  and  permeates  the  animal 
being,  to  be  charmed  away  by  incantations  or  other 
spiritual  means,  on  the  one  hand;  or  on  the  other,  as  a 
hydra-headed  monster  which,  in  various  forms,  enters 
the  fair  citadel,  to  be  ejected  only  by  medicinal  pota- 
tions, either  great  or  small.    Learn  rather  to  look  upon 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  199 

the  human  fabric  as  a  delicate  organism,  for  a  time  the 
seat  of  a  vital  force,  which,  springing  from  the  throne 
of  the  Omnipotent,  wrests  matter  from  the  action  and 
sway  of  mere  chemical  affinities,  seizes  chemical  laws 
and  harnesses  them  to  its  own  work;  permitting  them 
to  have  full  and  unrestricted  action  in  one  place,  modi- 
fying and  controlling  them  in  another,  while  in  still 
another  they  are  bound  hand  and  foot;  and  the  ele- 
ments, like  the  lion  and  the  lamb,  are  made  to  lie 
down  together  in  peace  and  harmony. 

"This  intricate  and  delicate  organization  is  the  seat 
of  numerous  functions  all  subservient  to  the  existence 
of  the  whole,  and  playing  upon  one  another  by  a  sys- 
tem of  direct  and  reflex  influences,  which  in  harmoni- 
ous action,  conserve  the  object  of  its  creation — a,  limited 
existence.  A  derangement  in  any  single  function  exerts 
its  influence  upon  others,  and  thus,  by  destroying  the 
harmonious  action  of  all,  tends  to  shoi*ten  even  the 
natural  limit  of  existence.  This  is  disease.  To  learn 
to  detect  it  in  its  primary  and  all  its  secondary  lesions, 
and  to  correct  it — to  recognize  the  causes  which  pro- 
duce it,  in  order  to  ob\T.ate  them,  is  your  mission.  In 
that  mission  I  bid  you  God  speed,  and  in  behalf  of  my 
colleagues,  I  pledge  you  our  hearty  cooperation  and 
assistance." 


CHAPTEE    NIE^ETEEIsTTH. 

A  FEW  years  after  its  inauguration,  the  new  college 
was  destroyed  in  the  Chicago  fire.  Doctor  Gunn's 
office  was  in  the  building.  Among  the  things  he  lost, 
most  valued,  and  that  could  not  be  replaced,  was  a  cabi- 
net of  handsomely  mounted  anatomical  specimens,  the 
careful  collection  of  years,  and  the  manuscript  of  a  work 
on  surgery  nearly  ready  for  publication.  His  distaste 
for  the  mechanical  part  of  wiiting,  together  with  the 
now  almost  impossible  task  of  again  gathering  his  data, 
discoura2:ed  its  resuscitation.  He  encountered  many 
difficulties;  among  them  his  library  was  gone,  his  sur- 
gical practice  was  scattered  and  much  of  it  lost;  for  a 
time  it  seemed  that  everything  was  lost !  But  his  house 
was  left,  and  there  he  established  his  office.  Directly 
after  the  calamity,  he  said  "I  shall  have  to  begin  all 
over  again  and  be  a  candidate  for  general  practice." 
But  reflection  made  him  hesitate,  and  he  finally  con- 
cluded not  io  enter  the  general  field. 

Every  one,  who  ever  had  any  interest  in  it,  is  aware 
of  the  Faculty's  struggles  while  in  a  temporary  build- 

200 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  201 

ino:  constructed  "under  the  side- walk"  on  Eiofhteentli 
street.  In  a  few  years  a  still  finer  college  than  the 
one  destroyed  was  erected  on  the  West  Side;  later  the 
Presbyterian  Hospital,  which  adjoins  the  college  build- 
ing, and  whose  staff  is  composed  substantially  of  the 
college  faculty,  was  also  established.  Doctor  Gunn's 
early  connection  with,  and  great  interest  in  this  hos- 
pital would  have  given  him  untold  satisfaction  and 
pleasure  in  seeing  it  completed  by  the  magnificent 
addition  of  the  "Jones  Memorial  Building.''  I  am  not 
anxious  to  attribute  an  undue  share  of  influence  to  the 
doctor,  but  the  colleges  and  hospitals  with  which  he 
had  been  connected,  had  always  engao^ed  his  best 
efforts,  and  his  sti'ongest  energies  were  given  to  Eush 
College  in  its  dark,  as  well  as  in  its  palmiest  days. 

One  of  his  colleagues  once  said  to  me: — "  The  only 
thing  I  have  against  your  husband,  is,  that  he  will 
not  make  notes  of  his  surgical  cases  and  occasionally 
publish  those  of  importance." 

In  his  address  at  the  opening  of  the  present  session 
of  Rush  Medical  College,  Dr.  Senn  said  of  Doctor 
Gunn: — "He  left  no  encyclopedia  of  medicine,  but  his 
little  pamphlet  of  less  than  twenty -five  pages  contains 
more  leaiming  than  volumes  that  many  others  have 
compiled." 

Remembering  that  Doctor  Gunn  was  not  fond  of  the 


202  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

mechanical  part  of  writing,  the  following  articles  are 
probably  all  pertaining  to  his  profession  that  have  ever 
been  published.  They  were  sent  to  me  by  Dr  Billings 
from  the  library  of  the  Surgeon  General's  Office, 
through  the  courtesy  of  Dr.  Baxter: — 


AETICLES  WRITTEN  BY  MOSES  GUNN,  M.D. 

Philosophy  of  Certain  Dislocations  of  the  Hip  and  Shoul- 
der, AND  THEIR  REDUCTION.  "Peuinsular  Journal  of 
Medicine,"  Ann  Arbor,  1853-4,  I,  pp.  95-100. 

Reprinted  with  some  additions  in  the  same  journal 

1855-6,  III,  pp.  27-35. 
Reprinted  in  pamphlet  form,  1855. 
Reprinted  with  further  additions.     "  Peninsular  and 
Independent  Medical  Journal,"  1859-60,  II,  pp. 
193-206. 
Reprinted  in  pamphlet  form  1859. 
Second  edition,  printed  in  1869. 

Selections  from  Surgical  Notes.  "Medical  Independent," 
Detroit,  1857-8;  III,  pp.  67,  186,  257,  377,  469,  575. 

Selections  from  Surgical  Notes.  "  Peninsular  and  Inde- 
pendent Medical  Journal,"  Detroit,  1858-9;  I,  pp.  464- 
467:  1859-60;  H,  pp.  140-143. 

Doctor  Gunn  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  "  Monthly 
Independent,"  Detroit,   1857-8,  III;  and  of  the   "Renin- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  208 

sular  and  Independent  Medical  Jonmal,"  1858-9,  I:  and 
1859—60,  H;  and  was  the  author  of  numerous  editorials  in 
these  journals,  usually  signed  "G." 

Addeess  of  Welcome  to  Rush  Medical  College  delivered 
October  1,  1867.  "  Chicago  Medical  Jom^nal,*'  1867, 
XXIY,  pp.  499-512. 

Valedictory  Address,  Rush  Medical  Collegre.  1870-71. 
Ibid,  1871,  XXYIII.  pp.  157-169;  also  reprinted. 

Surgical  Clixic  of  Rush  Medical  College.  Ibid,  187-1, 
XXXI,  pp.  560,  725. 

Discussion  of  Dr.  Gross*  paper  on  Syphilis.  ''Transactions 
American  Medical  Association."  Philadelphia,  1874, 
XXY,  p.  243. 

Case  of  Traumatic  Tetaisus,  St.  Joseph's  Hospital.  "  Chi- 
cago Medical  Journal  and  Examiner,"  1875.  XXXII, 
pp.  421-426. 

Address  in  Surgery  and  Anatomy,  delivered  May  8,  1879. 
"Transactions  American  Medical  Association,"  Philadel- 
phia, 1879,  XXX,  pp.  479-493. 

Report  of  a  Case  of  Purulent  Effusion  into  Knee-Joint. 
Ibid,  1879,  XXX,  p.  517. 

Treatment  of  Fractures  of  the  Skull,  Recent  antd  Chronic, 
WITH  Depression.  Read  June  1,  1882.  "  Transactions 
of  the  American  Surgical  Association,"  1881-83.  Phila- 
delphia, 1883,  I,  pp.  83-90. 


204  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

The  Doctorate  Address  on  Medical  Ethics.  "Chicago 
Medical  Journal  and  Examiner,"  1883.  XLYI,  pp. 
337-352.     Also  reprinted. 

The  Philosophy  or  Manipulation  in  the  Reduction  of  Hip 
AND  Shoulder  Dislocations.  "  Transactions  American 
Surgical  Association,"  (1884).  1885.  II,  pp.  399-419; 
also  in  "Chicago  Medical  Journal  and  Examiner," 
1874,  XLYIII,  pp.  449-468.     Also  reprinted. 

The  Union  of  Nerves  of  Different  Function  Considered 
IN  its  Pathological  and  Surgical  Relations.  Address 
of  the  President,  delivered  April  28th,  1886.  "  Trans- 
actions American  Surgical  Association,"  1886.  IV,  pp. 
1-13. 

Doctor  Gunn  also  took  part  in  the  discussion  of  many 
of  the  papers  published  in  volumes  I,  II,  and  III  of  the 
Transactions  of  the  American  Surgical  Association. 


Between  Professor  Allen  and  Doctor  Gunn  the 
closest  personal  attachment  had  existed  for  years.  Dr. 
A once  said  to  me,  "I  know  more  about  your  hus- 
band, than  any  one  living,  unless  it  is  yourself,  and 
possibly  in  some  things  even  more  than  you."  This 
remark  led  me  to  build  hopes  of  at  least  one  chapter, 
upon  his  knowledge.  The  reminiscences  he  would 
have  given,  he  has  not  been  able  to  furnish  on  account 
of  a  painful  and  lingering  indisposition. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  205 

Aware  of  the  incompleteness  of  these  sketches 
without  something  from  Dr.  Allen,  the  only  alternative 
is  to  include  his  brief  synopsis  of  Doctor  Gunn's 
biography  up  to  1876,  contained  in  a  volume  of  ''The 
United  States  Biographical  Dictionary."  Necessarily 
some  of  these  references  will  be  repeated  in  my  own 
allusions,  and  in  the  mention,  by  others,  of  certain 
incidents  in  his  life. 


"Moses  Gunn,  occupant  of  the  chair  of  Principles 
and  Practice  of  Surgery  and  Clinical  Surgery  in  Push 
Medical  College,  Chicago,  a  native  of  East  Bloomfield, 
was  born  on  the  20th  of  April,  1822,  the  son  of  Linus 
and  Esther  Gunn,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts, the  Gunns  tracing  their  ancestry  through  a 
long  line  of  Scottish  lairds  into  the  depths  of  olden 
times. 

"A  very  thorough  academical  education  interrupted 
by  an  illness  that  wasted  him  to  a  shadow  scarcely  to 
be  conceived  of  by  one  who  now  looks  upon  his  robust 
and  powerful  physique,  was  followed  by  a  course  of 
professional  study  in  Geneva  Medical  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1846.  He  was  accompanied  on 
his  journey  to  the  West,  by  the  cadaver  of  a  huge 
African   in   one   of  his  very  innocent-looking    trunks, 


206  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

wliich,  however,  excited  the  ire  of  the  driyer  as  being 
as  heavy  as  a  passenger. 

"  He  arrived  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  in  February, 
1846,  and  contemporaneously  with  beginning  practice, 
conimenced  the  first  systematic  course  of  anatomical 
lectures  ever  given  in  that  State,  before  a  class  of 
twenty-five  or  thirty  students.  The  course  was  repeated 
for  three  successive  years,  until  the  organization  of  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Michigan, 
when  he  was  elected  professor  of  surgery  by  a  very 
flattering  vote,  although  there  was  strong  and  active 
competition, 

"  For  three  years  he  gave  the  lectures  upon  both 
anatomy  and  surgery,  the  annual  course  extending  to 
nearly  seven  months.  Dui'ing  this  period,  in  addition 
to  attendance  upon  a  laborious  and  constantly  increasing 
practice,  he  acquired  an  accurate  and  fluent  acquaint- 
ance with  the  German  language,  which  has  now  become 
almost  as  familiar  to  him  as  his  vernacular. 

"In  1848  Doctor  Gunn  was  married  to  Jane  Augusta 
Terry,  only  daughter  of  J.  M.  Terry,  M.D. 

"In  1853  he  removed  to  Detroit,  still  retaining  his 
chair  in  the  university  until  his  final  removal  to  Chi- 
cago in  1867.  In  1856  he  received  the  honorary  degree 
of  A.M.  fi-om  Geneva  College. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  207 

"In  1857  he  became  senior  editor  of  the  "Medical 
Independent,"  a  journal  which  made  its  mark  upon  the 
literature  of  the  time,  and,  its  mission  beins:  fulfilled, 
was  consolidated  with  another  medical  periodical,  of 
which  for  some  time  he  was  joint  editor. 

"In  the  winter  he  made  a  series  of  dissections  and 
experiments  with  a  yiew  to  determine  what  pai-ticular 
tissue  opposes  the  effort  to  reduce  dislocations  of  the 
hip  joint.  These  experiments  and  dissections  were 
repeated  before  the  medical  class  of. that  and  subse- 
quent sessions,  and  its  results  embodied  and  read  before 
the  Detroit  Medical  Society  in  the  summer  of  1S53, 
and  also  published  in  the  "Peninsular  Medical  Jour- 
nal" in  September  of  that  year.  From  the  folio  wins: 
quotation  the  professional  reader  will  at  once  be  able 
to  recognize  the  great  practical  as  well  as  scientific 
value  of  this  investigation,  and  it  will  also  put  at  rest 
the  question  of  priority  which  has  occasionally  been 
raised : — 

"' The  principle,  then,  I  would  seek  to  establish  is 
this:  that  in  luxation  of  the  hip  and  shoulder,  the  un- 
torn  portion  of  the  capsular  ligament,  by  binding  down 
the  head  of  the  dislocated  bone,  prevents  its  ready 
return  over  the  edge  of  the  cavity  to  its  place  in  the 
socket ;  and  that  this  return  can  be  easily  effected  by 
putting  the  limb  in  such  a  position  as  will  effectually 


208  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

approximate  the  two  points  of  attachment  of  that  portion 
of  the  ligament  which  remains  untorn.' 

"Some  little  idea  of  the  industry  and  arduous 
labors  of  Doctor  Gunn  may  be  gained  from  the  fact 
that  whilst  conducting  a  large  and  successful  practice 
in  Detroit,  he  visited  Ann  Arbor  twice  a  week  to  de- 
liver his  lecture  on  surgery  (ha^^ing  in  1854  been 
relieved  fi'om  lecturing  on  anatomy),  and  in  so  doing, 
up  to  the  time  of  resigning  his  chair  in  1867,  he  had 
travelled  a  distance  of  upwai'ds  of  iifty-six  thousand 
miles. 

"Aside  fi'om  his  lectures  at  Ann  Arbor,  his  reputa- 
tion as  a  skillful  and  accomplished  surgeon  had  so 
widely  extended  that,  notwithstanding  the  disadvantages 
of  the  location  of  the  college  in  a  small  inland  town, 
his  clinics  were  thronged  by  patients,  some  fi*om  very 
great  distances,  and  afforded  many  illustrations  of 
severe  and  difficult  operations. 

"  The  first  class  that  Doctor  Gunn  lectured  to  at 
that  institution  in  1850-1  numbered  ninety-two,  even 
this  being  deemed  a  remarkable  success.  The  last 
class,  1866-7,  he  there  instructed,  numbered  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five,  probably  the  largest  class 
assembled  in  the  United  States  that  year.  It  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  to  Doctor  Gunn  more  than  to  any 
other  one  person  Avas  due  this  unexampled  prosperity. 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  209 

"In  order  to  familiarize  himself  with  the  details  of 
military  surgery,  Doctor  Gunn  entered  the  military 
service  of  the  United  States  the  1st  of  September,  1861, 
accompanying  General  McClellan  through  the  Penin- 
sular campaign,  and  on  several  occasions  rendering 
most  efficient  service.  During  a  three  weeks'  leave  of 
absence  he  gave  fifty  lectures  at  the  university,  con- 
veying a  vast  fund  of  useful  information  to  the  students, 
a  large  number  of  whom  were  then  preparing  for  the 
field. 

"In  the  Spring  of  1867  he  accepted  an  earnest  invi- 
tation to  occupy  the  chair  he  now  holds  in  Eush 
Medical  College,  it  having  been  rendered  vacant  by  the 
death  of  the  distinguished  surgeon  and  teacher,  Daniel 
Brainard,  M.D.  He  accordingly  removed  to  Chicago 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  this  position  it  is  per- 
haps sufficient  to  say  that  he  has  achieved  marked 
distinction  and  high  success.  His  reputation  is  now 
firmly  established,  and  national,  both  as  a  practical 
surgeon  and  teacher.  The  present  prosperity  of  Rush 
Medical  College  is  largely  due  to  his  business  energy, 
professional  skill  and  personal  popularity  as  a  teacher. 

"Doctor  Gunn's  success  as  a  surgeon  depends  upon 
his  wonderfully  minute  and  accurate  acquaintance  with 
anatomy,  combined  with  exquisite  power  of  diagnosis, 
a   cool   head,    steady    muscles,    and   great   mechanical 

14 


210  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

genius.  He  is  never  at  a  loss  for  apparatus,  and  invents 
models,  off-hand,  that  would  make  the  fortune  of  a 
patent-right  seller.  His  instrumental  paraphernalia, 
straps  and  splints,  springs  and  bandages,  always  fit  the 
variety  of  the  species,  and  not  merely  the  class  and  the 
order. 

"As  an  operator  he  is  bold  and  dextrous,  handling 
the  scalpel  with  the  delicacy  of  an  artist's  pencil,  and 
yet  the  strength  of  iron  muscle ;  but  withal  never  trusts 
to  these,  but  guards  against  the  chance  of  failui'e  by 
careful  attention  to  those  really  indispensable  details 
which,  being  too  often  neglected,  cause  brilliant  opera- 
tions to  be  succeeded  by  ignominious  results. 

"As  an  instance  of  his  energy  and  decision  may  be 
mentioned  an  incident  personally  known  to  the  present 
writer,  then  a  colleague.  There  was  to  be  a  faculty 
meeting  in  the  evening.  In  the  morning  Doctor  Gunn 
was  called  to  a  case  of  strangulated  hernia,  thirty-two 
miles  away.  Of  coui'se  his  attendance  was  given  up; 
but  promptly  at  the  hour  he  was  present  for  business. 
He  had  driven  in  his  sulky  over  Michigan  roads  to  the 
patient's  residence,  but  the  attending  physician  had  not 
yet  arrived;  the  case  was  urgent,  and,  assisted  only  by 
the  patient's  wife,  he  operated  successfully,  dressed  the 
wound,  consigned  the  patient  to  the  tardy  doctors  he 
met  at  the  door,  and  in  eleven  houi's  from  the  morn- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  211 

ing's  start  was  quietly  asking  for  the  business  of  tlie 
eyening. 

"Personally,  Doctor  Gunn  lias  the  advantage  of  a 
fine  figure  and  an  air  distingue.  In  lecturing,  rapid, 
emphatic,  mindful  of  his  subject,  clear  in  statement, 
giying  confidence  to  his  auditors  of  thorough  master- 
ship. In  conversation,  somewhat  abrupt,  occasionally 
abstracted,  a  reserve  sometimes  taken  for  hauteui'  (of 
which  he  possesses  not  a  particle),  he  gains  no  popu- 
larity by  seeking  it,  and  labors  under  the  too  common 
hallucination  that  a  man  should  be  taken  for  what  he 
is,  rather  than  for  what  he  assumes. 

"If  he  had  devoted  his  life  to  mere  business  he 
would  have  been  a  millionaire.  If  he  had  taken  up  the 
army  he  would  have  been  a  general,  knowing  no  such 
word  as  fail,  and  never  being  caught  in  an  ambuscade. 
Still  in  the  prime  of  life,  energetic,  scholarly,  having 
both  brains  and  position,  he  has  yet  a  noteworthy  future 
before  him." 


CHAPTER   TWENTIETH. 

TN  the  winter  o£  1879  Doctor  Gunn  was  dangerously 
-•■  ill  from  pyaemia.  It  was  a  time  of  great  apprehen- 
sion; few  if  any  of  his  brother  physicians  believed  he 
would  recover.  How  kind  they  were — some  of  them 
remaining  with  him  night  after  night!  Under  similar 
circumstances  came  like  and  later  kindnesses  which 
will  never  be  forgotten. 

That  perilous  morning  is  engraven  on  my  mind.  It 
was  about  day-break.  I  was  alone  with  my  husband, 
when  he  said:  "You  will  have  to  get  the  props  under 
me  soon  or  it  will  be  too  late."  I  was  almost  par- 
alyzed to  find  him  cold  and  sinking.  I  gave  him 
brandy,  but  not  as  much  as  he  needed:  I  was  anything 
but  composed,  but  ran  to  the  next  room,  rang  the  stable 

bell,  told  the  man  to  harness  and  go  for  Dr.  A- . 

When  the  doctor  arrived,  I  knew  he  was  alarmed,  but 
he  quietly  sat  down  by  the  bedside  of  his  old  friend, 
and  commenced  giving  him  stimulants.  It  was  not 
very  long  before  the  doctor  rallied.  Turning  to  Dr. 
A he  said  "  Old  fellow,  I  know  you  would  have 

212 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  213 

hated  to  liave  me  slip  througli  voiir  fingers!"  tlien 
added,  "The  world  is  a  pretty  good  place  and  I  am  not 
sorry  to  stay  in  it  a  while  longer."  Some  kindly  and 
affectionate  remarks  then  passed  between  them. 

Doctor  Gnnn's  arm  troubled  him  for  months  after- 
ward, but  by  the  latter  part  of  February  he  began  again 
to  lecture.  The  first  day  he  appeared  before  the  class, 
the  amphitheatre  was  decorated  with  flowers,  and  the 
doctor  was  welcomed  with  enthusiasm. 

The  following  May,  some  physicians  were  about 
starting  on  a  European  trip,  and  he  was  ui'ged  to  make 
one  of  their  number.  He  needed  the  journey,  in  fact 
it  was  the  very  thing  he  most  needed,  but  hesitated  on 
account  of  a  rash  statement  he  had  made  to  his  wife, 
that  he  should  never  go  abroad  without  her!  This 
objection,  however,  was  speedily  overruled  by  her,  and 

his  arrangments  were  made  accordingly.     Dr.  M , 

who  had  frequently  crossed  the  ocean,  proposed  this 
time  trvinof  the  advantages  or  disadvantao^es  of  Cook's 
Tours,  in  which  they  all  acquiesced.      Some  days  later 

Mrs.  H meeting  Doctor  Gunn  on  the  street,   she 

said  to  him,  "Doctor,  I  hear  you  are  going  to  Europe; 
shall  you  take  Mrs.  Gunn?"  With  a  twinkle  of  his 
eye  he  replied.  "  O,  No!  I  rnn  going  for  pleasure!^'' 

Before  leaving,  the  doctor  announced  that  however 
unattractive  letter-writing  was  to  him,  he  should  write 


214  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

every  Sunday,  and  think  of  his  wife  all  the  time. 
Another  rash  statement,  possibly,  but  one  which,  in 
regard  to  the  frequency  of  wi'iting,  he  more  than 
carried  out. 


"At  Sea,  Steamer  'Gallia,' 
"Lat.  44-35°,  Long.  44-8°,  June  1,  1879. 

"  You  notice  we  are  about  mid-ocean.  It  is  Sunday 
evening,  eight  o'clock  and  after  dinner.  I  am  seated  at 
the  table  in  the  cabin  to  write  my  first  Sunday's  letter. 
I  suppose  that  you  are  now  writing  to  me  and  that  I 
shall  receive  the  letter  in  Dublin,  two  weeks  from 
to-morrow.  ....  We  have  had  a 

remarkably  pleasant  voyage  thus  far,  nothing  rougher 
than  you  and  I  experienced  on  the  Gulf  last  year.     Dr. 

R has  been  out  to-day  for  the  first  time  since  we 

embarked;  unfortunately  he  has  suffered  from  seasick- 
ness, while  the  rest  of  us  have  been  undisturbed  in  the 
enjoyment  of  our  meals.  The  ship  and  her  appoint- 
ments are  perfect.  Wednesday,  Thursday  and  Friday 
were  clear  days,  to-day  has  been  rainy.  Yesterday 
I  saw  six  Avhales;  two  of  them  spouted,  and  I  realized 
the  ideas  given  by  the  illustrations.  To-day  we  have 
had  service  on  board,  read  by  the  surgeon  of  the  ship. 
Prayers  were  read  for  the  President   of    the    United 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  215 

States;  also  for  Albert  Edward.  Prince  of  Wales,  and 
all  tlie  Eoyal  Family. 

"We  have  a  large  load  of  passengers;  among  them 
EeT.  DeWitt  Talmage,  accompanied  by  his  wife  and 
daughter,  whose  acquaintance  I  have  made  and  find 
them  agreeable  people.  There  is  also  a  Scotchman 
and  his  wife  from,  D who  started  from  home  accom- 
panied by  a  daughter  who  was  to  make  the  trip  with 
them.  She  was  engaged  to  be  married  this  coming 
Autumn.  Her  fiance  came  as  far  as  Chicago  to  bid  her 
good-bye,   but  instead,   while    in  the    city   procured  a 

license,  married  the  girl  and  took  her  back  to  D . 

The  mother,  naturally,  was  quite  indignant  at  their 
haste  and  says  she  gave  him  a  bit  of  her  mind.  I 
said,  '  So  you  gave  him  a  foretaste  of  the  mother-in- 
law?  '     '  Indeed  I  did.'  replied  she. 

"I  have  indulged  in  a  good  bit  of  gossip  for  me. 
I  thouDfht  of  you  when  you  were 
probably  praying  for  me  in  church,  making  allowance 
for  difference  in  time,  when  at  your  dinner,  etc.  My 
mind  is  scarcely  ever  absent  fi'om  you,  but  still  I 
am  enjoying  every  moment,  and  anticipating  much 
pleasure.  Probably  we  shall  land  at  Queensto"UTi  on 
Thursday  or  Friday  next,  and  remain  in  Cork  till 
Monday.  I  shall  add  to,  and  finish  this  letter  before 
landing,  that  it  may  go  with  the  first  mail  to  London 


216  MEMORIAL    SKETCHES. 

and  tlien  to  the  United  States.  You  will  get  it  about 
the  twentieth." 

'•''Monday  Evening,  2nd. — I  wish  I  could  telephone 
and  keep  you  daily  advised  of  my  movements.  Another 
day  on  the  whole  favorable,  head  winds,  and  some  sea, 
but  nothing  to  disturb  the  passengers,  most  of  whom 
are  now  seen  at  the  tables.  Opposite  to  me  reading 
sits  Mrs.  W from  Chicago ;  at  my  right,  also  read- 
ing, sits  Dr.  E who  has  fully  recovered  fi'om  his 

sea-sickness.  .  .  .  Both   Mr.   and  Mrs. 

Talmage  are   agreeable  in   conversation.     Mrs.  T 

tells  a  darkey  story  capitally. 

"At  noon  to-day  we  had  made  three  hundred  and 
forty-two  miles,  in  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  and  are 
at  Lat.  47-8''  and  Long.  36-54°.  I  tell  you  this,  so  that 
you  can  pick  out  our  position  on  the  map.  We  expect 
to  land  at  Queenstown  Thursday  afternoon." 

"  Wednesday,  3:30  P.  M. — Four  and  a  half  hours 
over   one   week   at   sea,   and   all  has  gone   well.     Tell 

M I  have  seen  six  whales,  and  two  of  them  spout! 

Last  evening  we  had  a  concert  gotten  up  by  volunteers 
for  the  benefit  of  some  Sailor  Orphan  Asylum  in 
Liverpool.  It  was  amusing  enough  but  hardly  of 
supreme  artistic  merit.  We  are  now  within  four  hun- 
dred miles   of    Cape  Clear,   have   had  head-winds   all 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  217 

the  way,  except  four  or  five  hours  one  day,  when  we 
derived  a  little  benefit  from  our  sails.  Still  we  have 
made  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  every  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  our  party  has  all  been  well  excepting 

Dr.  E . 

''The  tables  are  very  well  filled,  and,  as  many  of  the 
passengers  have  become  acquainted,  the  evening  din- 
ner, which  lasts  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  is  a  lively, 
noisy  scene,  not  unlike  an  evening  party,  where  all  is 
a  confusion  of  voices.  The  fare  is  varied  and  excel- 
lent, but  although  I  have  been  well,  and  have  had  a 
voracious  appetite,  it  is  getting  monotonous,  and  I 
shall  not  be  sorry  to  get  on  land  again.  The  same 
routine  of  sleeping  and  eating,  and  very  little  read- 
ing will  not  prove  continuously  entertaining;  card 
playing  I  detest,  so  that  exhaustless  source  of  amuse- 
ment to  many  on  board  is  unavailing  to  me.  A  mail 
bag  is  being  made  up  for  Liverpool;  I  finish  this  to 
be  forwarded  from  there."        ..... 

"QuEENSTOWN,  Jime  Sill,  1879. 
"We  arrived  here  last  night,  or  rather  this  morn- 
ing at  1:30,  and  were  met  by  our  conductor  who  had 
rooms  provided  for  us  at  the  Queen's  Hotel  and  break- 
fast in  a  private  parlor  this  morning,  and  O!  how 
exceedingly  funny  is  this  intensely  Irish  town ;  beggars 


218  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

who  blarney  and  beg  all  in  the  same  breath.  I  have 
seen  but  little  of  the  town.  I  write  now  to  get  in  an 
additional  letter  as  the  foreign  mail  closes  at  twelve. 

"Yesterday,  our  last  at  sea,  was  rainy,  and  as  no 
observation  could  be  made  at  noon,  and  as  we  were 
approaching  the  coast  in  a  fog,  it  was  to  me  a  matter 
of  some  interest,  at  least;  but  when  at  last  our  proud 
ship  put  her  nose  right  Id  the  passage  between  the 
Irish  Cliffs  and  Fastnet  light,  which  loomed  grandly 
through  obscurity  up  in  the  mist,  I  felt  a  warm  admi- 
ration for  the  brain  which  piloted  us  across  the  track- 
less deep. 

"We  go  to  Cork  to-morrow  and  remain  there  till 
Wednesday.  I  am  sitting  in  the  parlor  of  the  Queen's ; 
at  a  table  opposite,  a  very  pretty  Irish  woman  with 
banged  fore-top  is  also  writing;  she  politely  offered  me 
a  pen  as  I  sat  down  to  the  table.  Think  of  it !  although 
we  stayed  twenty-four  hours  in  New  York,  we  slept  in 
Ireland  on  the  twelfth  night  after  saying  good-bye  to 
you  in  Chicago."  .         ,  . 

"Cork,  Ireland, 
^'■Sunday  Afternoon,  June  8th,  1879. 
"By  my  second  letter,  which  undoubtedly  will  be 
received   with   the    first,   you  will   see    we    landed   in 
Queenstown  ahead  of  the  contemplated  time.    However, 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  219 

we  were  met,  though  at  midnight,  by  Mr.  Cook's  agent 
and  guide,  i.  e.,  both  in  one  person,  and  by  him  con- 
ducted to  our  hotel  where  he  had  secured  rooms  for  us. 
The  advantages  of  travelling  in  this  way  we  have 
chosen,  were  manifest  here,  as  one  or  two  at  least  of  the 
many  passengers  who  landed  at  the  same  time  and  place, 
have  not  been  able  to  get  a  room.  Ours  being  secured 
in  advance,  we  had  none  of  that  strife  which  the  others* 
were  obliged  to  encounter.  Friday  and  Saturday  fore- 
noons were  spent  in  Queenstown.  The  harbor  is  beau- 
tiful, and  the  town,  which  is  planted  on  a  succession  of 
terraces  on  the  side  of  the  bluff,  is  a  strange  combina- 
tion of  charming  difficulties  and  remunerating  views. 
But,  O!  the  Irish  of  it!  I  feel  that  I  can  hardly  speak 
without  getting  off  something  ivid  a  brogue  in  if. 

"Yesterday  afternoon  we  came  here  and  are  lodged 
at  the  'Imperial.'  An  Irish  hotel  is  of  course  like  the 
English  in  type  and  it  is  odd  enough.  I  cannot  stop  to 
describe  or  criticise,  but  as  yet,  to  me,  the  type  is  not 
agreeable.  Everything  is  excellent,  but  fJie  way  of  the 
thing  is  not  quite  acceptable ;  perhaps  it  will  become  so. 

"I  have  just  lunched  on  some  cold  mutton  that 
fully  realized  my  idea  of  English  mutton  although  it 
was  raised,  killed,  and  cooked  in  Ireland!  I  told  you 
the  other  day  the  beggars  were  at  hand  on  all  occasions; 
one  must  have  a  pocketful  of  pennies  to  bestow  upon 


220  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

them.  Their  appeals  are  yery  di'oll.  The  other  day 
on  leaving  the  hotel,  I  was  accosted  by  one  of  the  male 
persuasion  whose  petition  was,  '  Plaze,  sur,  giv  a  thrifle 
to  a  poor  oukl  man  wid  a  thronble  in  his  bones.'  A 
little  further  on  a  vigorous  middle-aged  woman  ap- 
pealed thusly :  '  God  bliss  the  grand  gintlemon !'  To- 
day a  barefooted  woman  with  a  babe  in  her  arms  crossed 
the  street  to  intercept  our  passage  with :  '  For  the  love 
of  God,  giv  a  copper  to  buy  bread  for  the  childers  \ " 

"I  went  to  church  this  morning,  but,  I  fear,  not  to 
pray,  but  to  see  the  old  church  of  St.  Ann's,  otherwise 
'  Shandon,'  and  to  hear  the  chimes.  Yes,  I  have  heard 
the  Chimes  of  Shandon !  I  have  looked  at  '  The  Bells 
of  Shandon,'  have  climbed  the  tower  and  looked  out  over 
the  ancient  City  of  Cork.  The  bells  are  sweet  and  the 
church  plain  and  poor,  but  the  poem  rang  incessantly 
in  my  ear  as  fi'om  the  tower  of  Shandon  I  looked  out 
over  the  Lee.  The  river  Lee  is  very  beautiful  from 
Queenstown  all  the  way  (about  twelve  miles)  to  this 
place. 

"Yesterday  on  a  boat  excui'sion,  on  the  river  from 
Queenstown,  a  beautiful  Irish  girl,  with  a  clear  com- 
plexion and  a  lithe  and  slender  figure,  neatly  di'essed 
in  a  lono:.  close-fittinof  cloth  coat,  with  a  bit  of  a  hand- 
kerchief  peeping  out  of  her  breast  pocket,  came  on 
board  at  one   of  the  landings.     Her  beauty  and  her 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.                              221 
quiet  and  modest  behavior,  quite  took    young   C 


and   old    G !    off   tlieir    feet  I     We   were  standins: 

together  as  the  boat  approached  the  wharf,  and  added 
to  the  above  outline  we  saw  just  upon  a  level  with  our 
eyes  a  neat  foot  in  a  well-fitting  boot  unobsciu'ed  bv  a 
train.  A  walking  suit  enabled  her  to  move  with  ease 
and  grace,  Avhile  we  admired  at  a  respectful  distance. 
We  indulged  in  oui"  amazement  till  the  vision  disap- 
peared at  one  of  the  landings,  and  then  we  recalled  a 
story  which  a  quaint  old  Xew  Hampshire  member  of 
our  party  told  on  shipboard.  It  ran  thus:  A  wife 
whose  husband  was  obliged  to  ti'avel  in  Pennsylvania, 
on  bidding  him  good-bye  said.  'John,  when  the  ankles 
of  the  Dutch  girls  begin  to  look  slender  to  you.  it's  fime 
io  come  home.' 

"This  morninor  as  we  wandered  about,  we  thougfht 
and  said,  how  nice  it  would  be  to  have  our  wives 
here  to  enjoy  this  with  us.  Indeed  I  hardly  see  any- 
thing without  wishing  I  had  you  here  to  see  it  with 
me.  .  .  .  ,  I  am  feeling  well,  have 

had  no  unpleasant  symptoms  as  yet,  and  if  you  were 
with  me.  I  think  my  cup  of  happiness  would  be  full. 
To-morrow  our  conductor  comes  on  again  from  Qneens- 
town  with  a  second  edition  of  our  jDarty  who  are  to 
arrive  in  one  of  the  Inman  steamers.  I  understand 
there  is  one  woman  in  the  expected  addition. 


222  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"On  Tuesday  we  shall  visit  Blarney  Castle;  on 
Wednesday  start  for  Killarney.  M and  I  dis- 
cussed this  morning  the  advantages  of  this  mode  of 
taking  a  tour.  It  is  an  easy  way,  we  are  relieved  of 
evervthinor.  no  tickets  to  buv,  no  servants  to  fee,  in 
short  we  have  nothing  to  do  but  enjoy  ourselves  and 

encounter  beggars.     How  much  fun  W would  get 

out  of  these  Irishmen!     I  can't  remember  a  hundredth 
part  of  the  queer  things  I  see  and  hear. 

KiLLAEXEY,   Tuesday,  June  12th,  1879. 

'•  Here  at  Killarney  I  have  just  finished  my  dinner, 
which  was  at  half-past  six,  and  as  we  are  six  hours 
earlier  than  you.  I  suppose  you  are  just  over  your 
lunch.  It  still  seems  sti'ange  to  find  myseK  in  Ireland. 
I  can  hardly  realize  that  nearly  one  quarter  of  the 
distance  around  the  globe  separates  us.  My  last  letter 
was  fi'om  Cork,  which  place  we  left  yesterday  morning 
at  nine  o'clock,  in  the  rain,  and  at  eleven-thirty  were 
at  Drimoleague  where  we  took  a  stage.  Fortunately 
the  rain  had  stopped  and  we  all  chose  the  top  of  the 
vehicle,  even  the  woman  !  which  I  have  forgotten 
whether  I  mentioned  as  being  the  only  one  in  our 
party. 

"Well,  the  trip  was  surprisingly  beautiful  to  Ban- 
try  on  Bantrv  Bay,  where  we  lunched.     From  there  we 


MExMOEIAL   SKETCHES.  223 

skirted  the   head  of    the  bay  to  Glengariff,  the  great, 
barren,  rocky  mountains  which  we  had  climbed  and  the 
spurs  of  which  we  were  now  crawling  around,  looming 
up  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  picturesque  bay  on  the 
other,  both  forming  a  landscape  which  combined  the 
beautiful  and  the  sublime.       Arrived  at  our  hotel  on 
the    shores   of    Glengariff    harbor    we    found  a  lovely 
situation.     At  our  feet  we  had  the  waters  of  the  harbor, 
with  their  rocky  inlets  and  shores,  while  on  the  opposite 
side  towered    grandly  up  barren,   rocky  peaks    which 
formed  a  magnificent  chain  of  mountains.      The  day 
had  been  one   replete  with  pleasure,  it  was  a  red-letter 
day  in  our  experience.    When  I  looked  upon  this  scene, 
which  I  have  only  touched,  for  I  cannot  attempt  a  de- 
scription, I  thought  as  I   almost  constantly  do,  'Why 
cannot  my  wife  be  here  to  enjoy  this  with  me  ? '     But  a 
truce  to  vain  imaginings.  ..... 

"This  morning  broke  grand  and  bright,  and  when  I 
looked  out  of  my  window  the  sun  was  gilding  the  tops 
of  the  opposite  mountains,  while  we  were  in  the  shade. 
After  a  good  breakfast  we  mounted  a  wagonette  which 
carried  eleven  persons  besides  the  driver;  three  good 
horses  constituted  our  team,  and  we  started  off  in  fine 
spirits.  Our  course  lay  up  the  magnificent  mountain 
range  which  we  had  seen  before  us.  At  the  height  of 
thirteen  hundred  feet  we  passed  through  a  tunnel  to 


224  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

the  other  side  of  the  mountain.  The  scenery  is  beyond 
description.  These  mountains  are  barren  rocks  either 
entirely  without  vegetation  or  covered  with  heather. 
Great  rocky  ledges  loom  up  in  grandeur  while  Ave 
crawl  winding  along  and  around  their  sides  on  a  road 
as  smooth  as  the  boulevards  and  a  hundred  times 
harder.  These  roads  are  simply  perfect.  I  have  not 
seen  a  rood  of  bad  road  in  Ireland. 

"  We  lunched  at  Kenmare,  and  as  this  is  at  the  foot 
of  the  range  on  the  other  side,  we  had  to  begin  a  simi- 
lar ascent  over  a  very  similar  formation  and  to  an 
equal  height,  passing  through  another  though  shorter 
tunnel  and  then  descending  gradually  till  we  reached 
the  lakes  of  Killamey.  To  the  east  of  this  spot  the 
country  seems  greatly  improved,  speaking  fi'om  an 
agricultural  point  of  view,  while  to  the  west  and  south 
from  this  point  over  which  we  have  just  travelled  the 
mountains  are  the  highest  in  the  island,  one  peak, 
which  we  had  in  view  a  greater  part  of  the  afternoon, 
being  three  thousand  four  hundred  feet  high. 

"  I  cannot  speak  of  the  lakes.  I  have  seen  so  much 
I  can  hardly  tell  you  any  thing,  but  Avill  try  to  do  so 
Sunday  when  I  ANaite  again.  Of  to-day's  trip  I  can 
only  say.  it  sui'passed  all  my  dreams.  I  have  been  in 
a  constant  state  of  wonder  since  starting  out  this  morn- 
ing.     It  will  take   time  to   assimilate   and   reduce  to 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  225 

order  all  these  new  irapressions.  I  have  seen  enough 
to-day  to  last  a  lifetime.  I  am  in  a  sort  of  dazed  con- 
dition, which  I  thought  to  clear  up  by  writing  to  you, 
but  have  run  on  about  these  scenes  that  have  en- 
grossed my  attention  and  am  not  much  better  settled 
in  my  feelings.        ....  I  hope  to  find 

a  letter  from  you  in  Dublin  on  Monday  evening. 

KiLLARNEY,  June  loth,  1879. 

"My  last  was  written  after  my  arrival  here  on 
Thursday  evening;  since  then  we  have  had  two  glo- 
rious days,  and  now  after  attending  the  Episcopal 
Church  here,  and  having  since  then  lunched,  I  am  in 
my  room  to  keep  my  promise  good  for  writing. 
My  family  are  arranged  on  the  mantel  just  at  my  right. 

I  seem  to  have  been  gone  three 
months !  and  yet  it  is  only  three  weeks !  I  have  mshed 
for  a  telephone  to  give  you  my  experience  with  electric 
speed,  writing  is  so  slow. 

"We  have  been  especially  favored  regarding  weather 
and  yet  we  have  passed  only  two  days  without  some 
rain.  On  Friday  we  visited  the  ruins  of  Aghadoe^ 
made  the  pass  of  Dunloe,  where  at  the  entrance  stands 
the  cottage  of  Kate  Kearney,  lunched  at  a  little  island 
at  the  head  of  the  upper  lake,  passed  down  the  lakes 
and  in  the  lower  one  visited  the  ruins  of  an  old  Abbey 


15 


226  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

on  Innisfallen  island,  and  the  ruins  of  Ross  Castle. 
The  day  was  perfect  and  the  scenery  simply  grand. 
I  cannot  describe  it  in  detail,  for  it  would  take  too  much 
writing. 

"Yesterday  we  went  to  the  ruins  of  Mucki'oss 
Abbey  which  are  well  preserved  and  are  extremely  in- 
teresting, did  seyeral  islands  and  Lord  Kenmare's 
park,  and  just  got  home  to  dinner.  Two  days  of  sight- 
seeing found  me  very  tired  last  night  and  I  slept  well. 
We  lunched  yesterday  in  a  romantic  spot  just  about 
the  time  you  were  at  breakfast.  I  thought  of  you 
while  I  was  lunching,  and  calculated  the  time  and 
deriyed  pleasui'e  at  the  thought.  I  haye  collected  pho- 
tographs of  such  points  as  interested  me  most,  and  of 
the  lunching  place  of  yesterday. 

"  To-morrow  we  go  to  Dublin,  but  it  is  not  necessary 
to  write  this,  for  we  adhere  to  oui'  schedule  yery  closely, 
so  you  can  follow  us  accurately  if  you  wish,  making 
allowance  of  six  hours  in  our  fayor,  i.  e.,  we  dine  six 
hours  in  adyance  of  you,  at  six-thirty,  which  would  be 
at  twelye-thii*ty,  with  you,  your  lunch  hour ;  when  you 
are  lunching,  our  afternoon  has  passed  and  we  are 
dining.  It  is  now  three-thiiiy ;  while  I  am  wi'iting  you 
have  had  breakfast  and  are  reading  '  The  Sunday 
Times,'  which  I  hope  to  receiye  in  about  two  weeks. 
To-morrow  eyening  on  my  arrival  in  Dublin  I  hope  to 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  *       227 

get  a  letter  from  you.  I  have  just  paused  to  calculate 
when  you  will  get  your  fii'st  letter  from  me,  and  find 
you  cannot  receive  your  first  news  after  my  leaving  New 
York  before  next  Friday,  June  twentieth,  almost  four 
weeks  after  my  departure  from  home.  How  long  the 
time  seems !         .         .         .        God  bless  you. 

"  LoNDONDEREY,  IRELAND,  June  19th,  1879. 

"Here  we  are  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  and  that  we 
are  far  north  you  may  realize  when  I  tell  you  that 
when  I  awoke  this  morning  the  sun  was  shining  in  my 
room;  looking  at  my  watch  I  found  it  lacked  fifteen 
minutes  to  four.  I  realize  it  in  another  way,  namely, 
in  that  I  am  obliged  to  wear  my  overcoat  continually. 
I  would  not  live  in  Ireland  for  the  whole  of  the  island! 
Perhaps  that  is  rather  extravagant,  but  it  expresses  my 
present  feelings  so  far  as  temperature  is  concerned. 

"We  came  to  Dublin  on  Monday,  and  on  that  day 
and  on  the  following,  in  which  we  had  to  do  the  city,  it 
rained  continually;  our  stay  there  was  most  unpro- 
pitious.  Yesterday  we  had  good  weather  and  a  pleasant 
journey  north  along  the  shores  of  the  Irish  Sea  to 
Dundalk,  and  across  the  country  to  this  old  city.     Tell 

W to  read  up  the  siege  of  Londonderry.      It  is 

walled,  I.  e.,  the  walls  and  gate-ways  of  the  ancient  city 
yet  remain,  though  the  town  has  grown  far  beyond 


228  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

them.  It  is  yet  a  small  city  and  could  not  have  con- 
tained more  than  three  or  four  thousand  at  the  time  of 
historical  interest. 

"We  did  the  city  last  evening  after  dinner  (an  ad- 
vantage of  our  long  days)  in  order  to  go  on  to  Port 
Rush  this  morning  to  breakfast,  and  to  have  more  time 
to  give  to  the  Giant's  Causeway.  Your  letter  and  the 
enclosed  introduction  from  Dr.  Gross  to  Sir  James 
Paget  was  handed  to  me  in  the  museum  of  Trinity  Col- 
lege, Dublin.  I  am  much  interested  in  all  about  me, 
but  I  am  also  thinking  of  home.  .  .  Write 

three  times  a  week  if  you  can.        .  .  . 

"Inversnaid,  June  22nd,  1879. 

"  Here  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland  on  the  shores  of 
Loch  Lomond  with  the  cloud-kissed  heads  of  Ben  Ledi 
and  Yorlich  in  front  of  me  I  sit  down  to  hold  a  few 
moments  converse  with  you.  On  the  mantel  are  ar- 
ranged as  in  Killarney,  my  family  pictures;  but  more 
than  four  thousand,  yes,  six  thousand  miles  intervene 
between  us.  I  can  hardly  yet  realize  that  I  am  in  the 
old  world. 

"My  last  was  written  at  Londonderry  on  Wednes- 
day morning.  After  a  vile  cup  of  coffee  we  went  to 
Port  Rush  to  breakfast;  and  after  this  most  refreshing 
pastime,  to  the  Giant's  Causeway,  some  eight  or  nine 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  229 

miles  distant,  passing  the  ruins  of  Dunluce  Castle,  but 
did  not  venture  to  explore  them,  as  the  only  approach 
to  the  ruins  was  over  a  narrow  wall  spanning  a  deep 
chasm;  the  wind  at  the  time  bloAving  so  fiercely  it 
would  have  been  dangerous  to  attempt  the  passage. 
At  the  Causeway  we  took  boat  to  a  couple  of  caves 
worn  deep  in  the  rock  by  the  waves  of  the  ocean  run- 
ning into  them  for  a  distance  of  two  hundred  feet  or 
more,  quite  as  far  as  any  of  us  were  disposed  to  pene- 
trate; then  to  and  upon  the  Causeway  which  is  indeed 
wonderful  and  interesting.  Then  lunch  at  the  Cause- 
way Hotel  and  a  drive  back  to  Port  Rush,  a  rainy  even- 
ing, a  fire  in  my  room,  a  good  night's  rest,  and  bright 
morning  on  Friday,  and  then  by  a  pleasant  rail  trip  to 
Belfast,  at  which  place  it  began  again  to  rain. 

"  Belfast  is  large  and  populous  but  presents  little 
to  sight-seers.  By  evening  boat  we  arrived  at  Glas- 
gow, where  we  stepped  upon  Scotch  soil.  Glasgow  is 
a  very  large  and  solid  city,  with  much  that  is  interest- 
ing. I  will  not  attempt  an  enumeration,  only  mention- 
ing a  Cathedral  which  boasts  the  finest  ecclesiastical 
architecture  in  Scotland,  and  the  Hunterian  Museum, 
which  being  anatomical  and  pathological  will  not  inter- 
est you.  Here  we  found  the  cleanest  and  most  com- 
fortable hotel  we  have  yet  encountered.  The  landlady, 
who  in  this  kingdom  is  the  personage  of  such  an  estab- 


230  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

lishment,  is  an  American;  the  fui'niture  was  all  of 
American  make,  and  the  table  service,  each  piece  deco- 
rated with  the  stars  and  stripes  and  the  cross  of  St. 
George,  the  staffs  of  which  were  crossed  and  tied 
with  ribbon.  We  fared  well  and  our  American  hostess 
was  pleased  to  make  us  comfortable. 

"At  five  last  evening  we  took  rail  to  Balloch  at  the 
foot  of  Loch  Lomond,  and  then  steamboat  to  this  place, 
where  we  had  tea  at  nine  o'clock.  At  ten-thirty, 
although  the  evening  was  both  cloudy  and  misty,  I 
read  the  time  on  my  watch  out-of-doors;  had  it  been 
clear,  I  think  I  could  have  read  it  at  eleven.  The 
weather  is  atrocious  and  robs  us  of  much  that  is 
attractive  in  the  scenery.  The  tops  of  the  mountains 
are  obscured  by  mist. 

"It  is   Sunday,  a  lazy  day,  M and  C are 

indisposed  to  go   out  and  R seems  to  be  of  the 

same  mind,  leaving  me  to  stay  in  or  go  out  alone.  I 
cannot  bear  to  lose  any  of  this  scenery,  but  much  is 
lost  on  account  of  the  weather.        .  .  .        To- 

morrow, Loch  Katrine,  Ellen's  Isle,  the  Brigg  of  Turk 
and  on  to  Edinburgh."  ..... 

"Keswick,  England,  June  2oth,  1879. 

"Here  in  the  lake  district  of  England,  in  the  vale 
of  Keswick,  the  most  charmingly  picturesque  spot  I 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  231 

have  yet  seen,  I  am  lodged  in  a  fine  hotel  that  looks 
out  over  the  village,  river,  and  upon  a  semi- circular 
range  of  hills  or  low  mountains.  On  Monday  by  open 
stage  we  went  across  to  Loch  Katrine,  passing  over  the 
intervening  mountain  range,  past  the  shores  of  a  lakelet 
on  the  opposite  shore  of  which,  Helen  MacGregor  was 
born,  this  being  the  domain  of  Rob  Roy.  At  Stron- 
achlacher,  took  a  little  steamer  for  the  foot  of  the  lake, 
passing  Ellen's  Isle  and  the  spot  where  Fitz- James  fii'st 
espied  her;  then  by  stage  through  the  Trossachs  along 
the  shores  of  Lochs  Achray  and  Yennachar,  over  the 
Brigg  of  Turk  to  Callander;  then  by  rail  to  Stirling, 
where  we  visited  that  ancient  castle  of  early  Scottish 
history.  I  cannot  stop  to  describe  the  Castle,  or  the 
extensive  view  from  its  battlements,  but  will  bring 
photographs,  also  a  sprig  of  ivy  which  I  reached  out 
and  plucked  from  Queen  Mary's  Look-Out. 

"The  same  evening  we  reached  Edinburgh,  which 
I  wish  I  could  take  more  time  to  describe.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  capitals  of  Europe;  its  peculiar 
location  on  a  group  of  hills,  separated  by  deep  ravines, 
forms  a  landscape  and  background  that  is  most  pic- 
turesque. Looking  down  from  the  ramparts  of  the 
Castle  or  looking  up  fi'om  the  lower  parts  of  the  city 
at  its  heights,  it  is  equally  impressive.  Calton  Hill, 
occupied    by    the    Royal    Astronomical    Observatory, 


232  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

affords  an  extensive  view.  Descending  the  hill  in  one 
direction,  yon  approach  by  walking,  Holjrood  Palace 
the  ancient  abode  of  Scottish  royalty,  where  Mary's 
room  and  bed-room  are  shown,  also  the  apartments  and 
bed  of  Darnley ;  many  interesting  things  are  seen  here. 
The  Castle  and  National  Gallery  also  claimed  our 
attention  yesterday.  .  .  .  . 

"Last  evening  we  came  to  Melrose;  this  morning 
visited  the  Abbey  Avhere,  at  the  end  of  several  centu- 
ries, the  ruins  of  its  elegant  architecture  still  remain. 
At  Abbotsford  I  sat  a  moment  in  Sir  Walter's  chair, 
in  the  library  which  looked  out  over  a  vast  extent  of 
meadow  reaching  to  the  Tweed.  From  this  interest- 
ing spot  we  went  to  Dryburgh  Abbey  where  the  genial 
poet  was  buried.     Then  by  rail  to  this  place. 

"It  is  now  eleven,  I  have  just  come  in  from  a  visit 
to  Southey's  grave  in  a  quaint  old  church-yard,  passed 
his  former  residence,  and  now  after  a  hard  day's  work 
I  am  tired  but  determined  to  write  you  this  sketch 
before  sleeping.  .  .  .  We  sail  for  home 

on  the  sixteenth  of  August;  you  can  write  to  me  as  late 
as  August  first,  but  send  that  letter  to  Liverpool  in 
care  of  the  purser  of  the  'Bothnia.'" 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  233 

London,  England,  June  29fh,  1879. 

"  We  arriyed  last  night  in  the  greatest  city  on  the 
globe,  and  to-day  (Sunday)  I  haye  spent  in  trying*  to 
get  the  main  points  in  the  topography  of  this  unlimited 
labyrinth.  I  am  tired  although  I  haye  not  walked 
much;  the  omnibuses  run  eyerywhere.  on  top  of  one  is 
the  best  place  to  see  to  adyantage  and  to  get  acquainted 
with  the  city.  This  mode  of  sight  and  conyeyance  is 
extremely  adyantageous.  .  .  .  . 

"  My  last  was  written  at  Keswick.  One  day  was 
spent  in  an  excursion,  the  next,  in  a  joiu'ney  to  Furness 
Abbey,  after  which  we  came  yesterday  to  London. 
We  had  a  special  car  which  was  shimfed  (that's  the 
word  used  here  for  switching)  on  to  different  trains  as 
we  struck  the  yarious  lines.  At  last,  one  hundred  and 
ninety-three  miles  fi'om  London,  we  struck  the  Mid- 
land Eoad  and  one  of  the  fast  trains.  Our  first  run 
was  seyenty-four  and  a  half  miles,  in  one  hour  and 
twenty-fiye  minutes;  some  of  the  time  we  made  a  mile 
in  forty-five  and  forty-six  seconds. 

"  Well,  we  haye  been  in  Great  Britain  twenty-fiye 
days,  and  haye  had  rain  eyery  day  but  two!  Still  we 
haye  dodafecl  the  showers,  and  haye  had  a  ofood  time. 
To-morrow  begins  the  work  of  doing  London!  and  I 
haye  learned  enough  to-day,  to  show  me  how  imper- 
fectly the  task  must  be  done  in  the  time  allot ed.     One 


234  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

thought  is  ever  present  with  me ;  that  is,  the  distance 
between  me  and  all  that  I  hold  dear. 

"London,  July  2nd,  1879. 

"Your  letter  of  June  fifteenth  was  received  on 
Monday  morning.  ....  While  I 

was  dressing  on  Tuesday  morning,  there  was  a  knock 
on  my  door  and  the  boy  handed  me  your  letter  written 
on  the  sixteenth,  after  receiving  my  first  missives  from 
across  the  water.  I  was  delighted  not  only  at  receiving 
a  letter  from  you,  but  at  the  speedy  passage  made  by 
the  mail  which  brought  you  my  letters,  so  much  in 
advance  of  my  calculations.  Ten  days  from  the  time 
I  wrote  my  letter  in  Queenstown,  you  had  it  in  your 
hands ! 

"  The  letter  which  you  wrote  in  reply  was  mailed 
on  the  seventeenth  of  June  and  was  handed  into  my 
room  in  London  on  the  morning  of  July  first,  making 
fourteen  days.  It  seems  incredible  that  you  should 
have  gotten  my  letter  so  soon.  I  wrote  it  after  my 
first  breakfast  in  Ireland  in  order  to  get  it  in  the  mail 
that  closed  at  twelve  o'clock.  At  three  o'clock  two  of 
us  were  on  the  heights  of  Queenstown  looking  at  the 
mail-boat  that  took  our  letters  out  to  the  steamer  which 
was  on  her  way  to  New  York.  We  watched  the  move- 
ments with  interest,  knowing  oiir  letters  were  on  their 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  235 

way  to   Chicago,   calculated  when  you  would  receive 
them,  etc.  ..... 

"  I  have  now  been  in  this  great,  noisy,  crooked  city 
three  days  and  am  bewildered  with  the  numberless 
historic  associations  which  we  encounter  on  every  hand. 
Westminster  Abbey  where  the  tombs  of  monarchs  and 
nobles  of  olden  time  are  shown,  itself  venerable  Tvdth 
signs  of  age  and  decay,  seems  to  oppress  and  confuse 
one  in  its  intricacy,  at  least  it  did  me,  and  I  found 
myself  trying  to  take  it  all  in,  and  realize  the  fact  that 
centuries  rolled  between  then  and  noio. 

"  To-day  I  have  been  to  the  Tower  where  are  shown 
suits  of  armor  worn  by  Henry  IV,  the  Duke  of  Suffolk, 
and  Robert  Dudley,  Earl  of  Leicester.  I  noticed  one 
suit  of  armor  said  to  have  been  presented  to  the  wearer 
by  Queen  Bess!  at  any  rate  there  is  visible  on  the 
breast  an  inlaid  likeness  of  the  stately  Queen,  high- 
necked  ruff  and  all. 

"I  saw  the  spot  where  Lady  Jane  Grey  was  be- 
headed, but  alas !  she  was  only  one  of  a  multitude  who 
suffered  a  like  fate  on  the  spot.  Anne  Boleyn's  crown 
rests  in  the  case  which  contains  those  of  the  present 
Queen  and  Charles  II. — But  enough  of  this;  to  me  it 
was  depressing,  and  I  fear  it  will  be  so  to  you. 

The  National  Gallery  disturbed  me  with  so 
much  of  beauty  and  its  opposite,  actual  ugliness.      The 


236  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

trouble  is,  there  is  so  mucli  to  see  and  so  little  time  to 

see  it  in.  .  .  .  .  Dr.  P who 

has  been  abroad  some  weeks,  joined  ns  in  London,  and 
will  go  on  with  us  to  Amsterdam." 


CHAPTER  TWE]:sTY-FIEST. 

IPvOCTOE  GUNN'S  natural  propensity  to  thi'ow  off 
^  trouble  and  look  at  the  bright  side  of  life, 
induced  him  often  to  say:  "  Enjoy  your  rose  but  don't 
look  round  for  the  thorn."  Thus  he  commences  one  of 
his  letters: — 

"  I  think  our  roses  have  really  as  few  thorns  as  any 
one's,  and  I  am  sure  that  we  may  keep  our  fingers  off 
of  them  if  we  only  try.  ....  At 

this  untimely  houi',  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  am 
wi'iting  to  you  from  Amsterdam, — this  genial  old  city 
of  the  Dutch.  Breakfast  is  not  ordered  for  us  until 
nine  o'clock,  ther^efore  I  prefer  wi'iting  to  you  before 
going  out.  TThen  we  awoke  yesterday  morning  and 
got  on  deck,  we  were  in  the  German  Ocean,  the  south 
end  of  which  we  cross  in  going  fi'om  Harwich  to 
Rotterdam. 

"  xlbout  nine  o'clock  we  could  make  out  the  low 
coast,  which  soon  came  more  plainly  into  view,  and 
as  we  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Maas,  or  as  you  proba- 

237 


238  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

bly  will  find  it  on  the  map,  'Meuse,'  the  dykes  and 
low-backed  fields  made  a  picture  which  fully  realized 
my  idea  of  Holland.  Along  the  dykes  there  appeared 
to  be  a  road  (it  was  undoubtedly  a  road),  as  wagons 
were  occasionally  passing  thereon.  Long  rows  of  hand- 
some trees  and  almost  as  many  windmills,  with  their 
long,  ponderous  wings  slowly  moving  in  obedience  to 
the  wind,  with  here  and  there  a  cottage,  gave  pictur- 
esqueness  to  the  scene.  The  river  was  dotted  with 
vessels  of  all  descriptions  from  the  little  Dutch  hulk  to 
the  fine,  large,  India-bound  ships.  Schiedam,  where 
the  famous  gin  is  made,  was  soon  before  us,  and  by  ten 
o'clock  we  reached  the  city  of  Rotterdam  where  we  dis- 
embarked, lunched,  wandered  about,  visited  two  picture 
galleries,  where  we  found  some  fine  paintings,  dined, 
and  then  by  cars  came  on  to  this  city,  arriving  about 
eleven  o'clock. 

"  Our  party  was  greatly  augmented  at  London  by 
both  gentlemen  and  ladies;  the  add.ition  of  the  women, 
I  think,  will  add  something  to  the  trip.  Before  reach- 
ing London  we  had  only  one !  but  her  husband  stuck  so 
close  to  her,  the  rest  of  us  had  no  chance  to  peep. 
Four  of  the  women  are  travelling  alone;  two  of  them 
went  over  in  the  Gallia,  and  I  had  become  slightly  ac- 
quainted with  them.  ....  They  are 
solid  in  a  metaphorical  sense,  but  not  in  a  physical  one. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  239 

"Well,  here  I  am  almost  at  the  end  of  my  sheet, 
and  as  I  know  nothing  yet  about  this  city,  can  say 
nothing.  To-morrow  we  shall  go  to  Antwerp,  stopping 
at  The  Hague  to  see  some  pictures;  much  is  proposed 
that  often  is  hardly  worth  seeking  after. 

So  far  we  have  had  constantly  bad  weather, 
the  only  days  entirely  without  rain  being  at  Killarney; 
and  I  begin  to  fear  we  shall  have  bad  weather  all  the 
way  round.  But  we  have  dodged  the  annoying  showers, 
and  have  not  suffered  much  discomfort.  It  is  now  half- 
past  eight,  and  the  bells,  a  chime,  are  striking  the 
hour  close  by.  With  a  few  words  more  I  must  close 
and  get  ready  for  breakfast.  .... 

Beuxelles,  Belgium,  July  9th,  1879. 
"Yesterday    evening  on  our  arrival  here,  I  found 
your  letter  of    June  21st;  this  morning,   another  was 
brought  dated  two  days  later.  .... 

My  last  was  written  Sunday  morning  at  Amsterdam. 
As  we  had  only  Sunday  in  this  quaint,  interesting  and 
curious  old  city,  the  day  was  devoted  to  it,  instead  of  to 
church.  We  took  a  carriage  and  drove  about  visiting 
several  poiots  of  interest.  Amsterdam  has  been  called 
the  'Yulgar  Venice,'  but  he  who  calls  the  city  vulgar, 
makes  a  sad  mistake.  It  has  a  commercial  grandeur 
that  is  wonderful !    it  may  not  have  the  poetic  associa- 


240  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

tions  of  tlie  town  of  the  Doges  and  Council  of  Ten,  with 
its  'Bridge  of  Sighs;'  but  it  has  wealth,  thrift,  clean- 
liness and  beauty.  The  residences  of  the  wealthy  are 
on  well-kept  streets,  rich,  lofty,  and  substantial,  while 
they,  and  the  promenades,  and  the  canals,  are  all  so 
clean,  and  the  unique  picture  of  the  whole  so  charming 
that,  despite  the  cold,  damp  weather  in  which  we  saw 
them,  we  were  delighted.  Quaint  old  gables,  steep  and 
plain,  with  here  and  there  one  highly  carved  and 
ornamented,  with  black  or  almost  black  doors  opening 
upon  steps,  with  rails  and  trimmmgs  polished  as  high 
as  labor  could  reach,  characterized  the  dwellings,  which 
stood  prominent  along  the  streets.  We  visited  the 
Royal  Palace,  saw  its  paintings  and  statuary,  three 
different  museums  containing  paintings,  the  Zoological 
Garden,  and  diamond  polishers  who,  being  Jews,  were 
hard  at  work  on  Sunday.  I  saw  the  man  diligently  at 
work  who  cut,  or  rather  polished  the  Koohinoor.  I 
went  to  bed  tired. 

"On  Monday  we  came  to  Antwerp  by  way  of  The 
Hague.  At  Antwerp  I  went  on  board  the  steamer 
Trenton  and  saw  Surgeon  Bloodgood,  who  appeared 
delighted  to  see  me.     Bruxelles  is  beautiful — evidently 

fashionable  and  gay.    I  have  just  learned  that  J.  C 

from  Chicago  is  here.  I  have  been  very  busy  to-day, 
will  call  upon  her  this  evening.      To-morrow  we  go  to 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  241 

the  battle-field  of  Waterloo!  there  is  nothing  to  see 
but  it  is  the  thing  to  do,  and  ice  do  if.  Eain  !  rain ! 
incessant  rain  !  only  two  days  without,  since  we  landed. 


"WiESBADEX,  Germany, 

''Sunday,  July  13th,  1879. 

"I  dropped  W a  postal  from  Cologne  yesterday 

morning  just  as  we  were  starting  up  the  Rhein.  We 
arrived  here  last  evening  at  nine-thirty,  having  had,  to 
our  surprise,  a  fine  day ;  that  is,  only  one  shower  during 
our  dinner.  I  had  formerly  di'eamed  of  the  Ehein  as 
a  most  romantic  piece  of  river  scenery,  but  of  later 
years  have  so  often  heard  it  referred  to  as  no  finer  than 
the  Highlands  of  the  Hudson,  that  my  expectations 
were  somewhat  toned  down.  In  this  mood  I  encoun- 
tered the  reality.  Well!  the  half  had  not  been  told! 
To  compare  the  two,  seems  absurd, — as  well  compare  the 
anatomical  perfections  and  beauty  of  a  leopard,  with 
the  grace  and  beauty  of  a  greyhound!  The  Hudson 
has  a  few  miles  of  grand  and  wild  scenery.  The  Ehein 
has  nothing  so  wild,  but  it  has  six  times  as  much;  a 
great  portion  of  it  wild,  and  all  so  highly  cultivated 
with  the  vine  that  when  crowned  with  the  numerous 
old  ruins  about  which  cluster  so  much  of  historic 
romance  and  mythical   legend,   it  leaves   the  Hudson 

16 


242  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

far  in  the  background.  Castle  and  crag  here  and 
there  present  bold  and  stern  reminders  of  the  career  of 
the  robber  feudals,  with  now  and  then  a  bit  of  sweet 
and  touching  romance;  while  the  Lorley  or  more 
properly  the  Lurlie,  calls  up  the  familiar  legend,  which 
has  been  so  distorted  upon  the  stage. 

"Well,  here  in  Wiesbaden  I  have  just  attended  an 
English  Church,  where  Victoria  and  the  Royal  Family, 
Kaiser  Wilhelm  and  the  President  of  the  United  States 
were  all  remembered  in  the  ritual.  How  odd  it  seems 
to  be  here!  It  is  raining,  my  window  is  open,  and  I 
look  out  on  a  beautiful  small  city  while  you  are  one 
quarter  of  the  way  round  the  globe  to  the  west,  and 
are  just  sitting  down  to  breakfast." 

"Heidelbeeg,  Gekmany,  July  14th,  1879. 
"I  wrote  yesterday  from  Wiesbaden  and  was  dis- 
appointed at  the  non-reception  of  a  letter  on  my  arrival 
Saturday   evening.      To-day   in   Heidelberg,    I  found 
your  letters  of  June  26th  and  27th  with  the  enclosed 

from  T written  on  June  29th,  giving  a  description 

of  their  journey,  similar  to  yours  they  wrote  you  from 
Manitou  Peak.", 

"  Tuesday,  Fifteenth. — Have  just  returned  from  the 
Schloss  or  Castle  which  is  Heidelberg's  lion!     It  is  the 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  243 

most  extensive  and,  on  the  whole,  the  most  interesting 
rain  I  have  jet  seen.  I  cannot  go  into  details,  only  to 
say  that  there  are  garden  terraces,  trees,  towers,  gables 
and  a  drawbridge  over  the  moat,  and  that  in  the  vast  and 
solitary  chambers  is  the  architecture  of  past  ages.  All 
combine  to  make  this  one  of  the  most  interesting  of 
ruins.  Among  other  things,  it  contains  in  a  well- 
preserved  condition,  the  great  tun  which  is  said  to 
contain,  I  believe,  eighteen  thousand  barrels;  it  is  also 
said  to  have  been  three  times  filled  with  wine.  A  flight 
of  stairs  leads  to  a  platform  on  its  top,  where  can  be 
danced  a  double  quadrille! 

"  From  the  Castle  walls  we  overlook  the  town,  and 
in  the  distance  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  Rhein,  into 
which  the  Neckar  below  us  flows.  Behind  rise  the 
heights  of  Kaiserstuhl,  while  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  Neckar  we  behold  the  vine-clad  sides  of  All  Saints. 
When  I  stood  there  and  looked  out  on  all  this  beauty, 
I    thought  .  .  .  well,    in    a    word,    I 

wished  that  you  were  here.  God  grant  we  may  some 
time  take  this  journey  together!  It  is  raining  again 
and  I  am  gloomy.  ...  I  get  comfort 

in  the  thought  that  I  am  on  the  last  half  of  the 
allotted  time  for  the  journey."  .... 


244  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"Hotel  Scheeibee,  Eigi-Kulm,  Switzeeland, 

''July  19th,  1879. 

"  Here  at  the  top  of  the  Bigi,  five  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  sixty -five  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea 
and  four  thousand  nine  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of 
Lake  Lucerne  from  which  we  made  the  ascent  on  the 
inclined  raih'oad,   I  sleep  to-night,  and  go  to  Luzern 

to  breakfast  in  the  morning.     Dr.  P is  also  here 

and  we  hope  to  get  a  clear  sunrise,  though  it  is  ex- 
tremely doubtful. 

"  I  last  wrote  you  at  Heidelberg,  writing  on  Tues- 
day evening  my  Wednesday's  letter.  I  agreed  to  write 
you  every  Sunday  but  have  written  twice  weekly  instead. 

We  stopped  over  in  Strassburg, 
for  in  order  to  hear  the  clock  strike,  we  were  obliged 
to  wait  until  afternoon,  and  lose  the  train  that  would 
bring  us  into  Schaffhausen  in  seasonable  time.  Next 
day  we  came  to  Schaffhausen,  stopped  at  a  most 
delightful  hotel,  situated  directly  in  front  of  the  falls  of 
the  Rhein.  On  the  next  day,  Friday,  came  to  Luzern, 
stopping  at  Zurich  two  hours,  instead  of  all  night, 
thus  catching  up  with  our  programme. 

"  To-day  we  have  lingered  in  a  most  delightful 
locality,  with  the  Alps  in  front  of  us,  and  this  pecul- 
iarly beautiful  sheet  of  water  at  our  feet.     Nine  miles 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  245 

by  steamer  brought  us  to  Yitznan,  and  then  the  elevat- 
ing railroad  to  this  immensely  elevated  point  on  the 
top  of  one  of  the  Northern  Alps.  I  hardly  can  contain 
my  enthusiasm,  so  charmingly  beautiful  is  the  picture 
upon  which  I  have  been  looking  to-night. 

"It  is  dark,  and  I  write  my  Sunday's  letter  now 
instead  of  to-morrow,  in  order  to  have  it  mailed  fi'om 
this  mountain.  It  is  higher  in  the  air  than  I  have 
ever  been  before  and  the  grandeui-  and  picturesqueness 
of  the  ^T.ew  I  only  wish  you  could  see.  Monday  we 
take  steamer  to  Alpnacht  and  then  stages  over  the 
Brunig  Pass.  I  am  some  feverish  to-night,  possibly 
from  excitement.  My  arm  was  again  opened  during  the 
last  week.  ....  I  feel  that  my 

letters  are  meagre  affairs,  but  I  am  always  hui'ried,  my 
heart  is  full  of  the  scenes  around  me  and  equally  full 
of  regret  that  an  ocean  is  between  us." 

"  Inteelachen,  Switzeela^o), 

^'•Wednesday,  Jidy  23rd,  1879. 

"My  last  was  from  Eigi-Kulm.  Sunday  was  spent 
on  Lake  Lucerne  going  to  Fluellen  at  the  head  of  the 
lake,  passing  some  very  fine  points  and  the  Tell  Platz 
where,  according  to  the  legend.  Tell  sprang  on  shore 
and  shoved  the  boat  out  into  the  lake.  Monday  we 
took  boat  to  Alpnacht,  then  carriages  to  Brienz  on  the 


246  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

north  shore  of  a  lake  of  the  same  name,  crossing 
which  we  stopped  at  Giessbach  for  the  night.  Our 
carriage  route  was  over  the  Brunig  Pass,  from  which 

at  a  post-office  stop,  I  di'opped  a  line  to  W . 

"The  scenery  over  the  pass  was  simply  sublime! 
Imagine  yourself  creeping  up  and  still  up  along  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  at  times  effecting  a  turn  in  order 
to  accomplish  a  zig-zag  movement,  then  up  and  up  a 
mile  or  two  of  travel  and  you  look  directly  down  upon 
the  path  over  which  you  have  just  come,  perhaps  some 
five  hundred  feet  below.  At  last  the  summit  of  the 
pass  is  reached,  and  you  begin  a  similar  descent,  catch- 
ing constantly  magnificent  views  of  snow-capped  peaks, 
warm,  sequestered  nooks,  where  the  peasant  was  pas- 
turing his  herd  or  making  hay  for  winter's  use.  Now 
a  mountain  torrent  is  seen  rushing  down  the  mountain 
side,  leaping  often  hundreds  of  feet  at  a  single  plunge. 
Thus  one  beautiful  fall  was  in  sight  for  more  than  an 
hour;  our  view  being  altered  only  by  the  varying 
altitude  fi'om  which  we  beheld  it,  in  our  back-and- 
forth,  zig-zag  course  down  the  mountain.  At  last  when 
nearly  down  to  the  level  of  the  lake,  we  pass  beneath 
the  overhanging  rocky  side  and  emerge  into  the  valley, 
embark  on  the  lake,  cross,  and  catch  sight  of  a  fine 
hotel  located  upon  a  little  plateau  some  four  hundred 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  lake.     This  we  reach  by 


memorlalL  sketches.  247 

a  new  inclined  railroad  which  has  been  in  operation 
only  one  day. 

"The  view  from  the  hotel  is  charming,  the  water- 
fall leaping  in  a  series  of  cascades  down  to  oui'  very 
feet  from  nine  hundred  feet  above  ns.  The  window  of 
my  room  looked  out  upon  the  fall,  and  the  roar  of 
the  rushing  water  lulled  me  to  a  night's  repose.  Before 
this  at  nine-thirty,  came  the  illumination  by  Bengal 
lights.  I  had  heard  much  of  this  illumination,  but 
had  failed  utterly  to  conceive  of  its  great  beauty.  It 
is  useless  to  attempt  a  description,  but  when  I  see  you, 
I  hope  to  be  able  to  give  you  an  approximative  idea  of 
this  picture  which  I  shall  carry  with  me  to  my  life's 
end. 

"To-day  the  rain  has  prevented  our  going  to  Grin- 
delwald;  we  were  obliged  to  postpone  the  trip  until 
to-morrow.     I  had  gotten  to  the  foui-th  page  of  this 

letter,  when  P came  in  and  proposed  an  extra  trip 

to  Lauterbrunnen.  The  rain  had  somewhat  abated, 
and  we  had  a  lovely  afternoon,  seeing  in  addition  to  the 
fine  mountain  scenery,  a  waterfall  where  a  small  brook 
bounds  over  a  precipice  and  falls  sheer,  nine  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  breaking  into  a  white  mist  before  reach- 
ing the  bottom.  Well!  I  cannot  write  all.  but  must 
wait  to  tell  the  rest  in  propria  personal 


248  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 

"Lausanne,  Switzerland,  July  25th,  1879. 

"On  my  arrival  here  last  evening,  I  found  your 
letter  of  July  seventh,  just  nineteen  days  old.  At 
Interlachen,  where  I  wrote  you  last,  I  received  two!     . 

"Now  to  take  up  the  thread  of  my  travels: — My 
excitement  and  enthusiasm  are  awakened  at  every  turn. 
On  Thursday  we  went  to  the  Glacier  of  Grindenwald 
where  we  entered  a  grotto  cut  for  three  hundred  feet 
into  ice,  clear,  and  blue,  and  old,  how  old  I  cannot  tell, 
but  perhaps  formed  a  century  or  more  ago.  The  drive 
to  Grindenwald  was  magnificent;  the  walk  to  the  gla- 
cier was  fatiguing,  but  with  the  use  of  my  alpenstock 
I  accomplished  a  walk  that  you  would  Avonder  at  as 
much   as  I  did  myself."  ..... 

"Friday  it  was  Bern  and  the  bears!  which  are  a 
humbug.  'Old  Grizzly'  in  Union  Park  would  eat 
them  all  at  one  meal.  The  organ  in  the  Cathedral, 
however,  was  a  wonder.  I  never  heard  an  organ,  nor 
organ  playing  before!  Yesterday  we  stopped  at  Frei- 
burg to  hear  the  organ  there;  it  was  grand.  Had 
I  not  heard  the  one  at  Bern  the  evening  previous,  I 
should  have  been  astonished ;  but  on  the  whole,  I  think 
it  superior,  and  prefer  the  organ  at  Bern. 
Again  I  cannot  enter  into  details,  but  may  entertain 
you  with  them  when  I  see  you.  We  arrived  here  to 
dinner.      I  go  to  church  at    eleven  o'clock,   and   this 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  249 

afternoon  shall  wander  over  tlie  town.  I  enclose  a 
printed  list  of  our  party,  with  a  brief  commentary  on 
each."  ..... 

"Lausanne,  Sunday  Evening,  July  27th,  1879. 
"I  wrote  you  this  morning  and  now,  alone  in  my 
room,  have  been  reading  over  your  last,  received  here 
last    evening.  ....  I  forgot  to 

mention  in  my  letter  this  morning  a  surprise  at  Bern. 
Coming  out  of  the  dining  room,  I  heard  my  name 
pronounced.     Turning,  a  lady  held  out  her  hand  to  me. 

It  was  none  other  than  Mrs.  W who  said  she  had 

seen  you  not  long  before  she  left.  It  did  me  good  to 
see  a  Chicago  face.  She  left  three  weeks  after  us.  I 
shall  finish  this  at  Chamouny  in  the  face  of  Mont  Blanc. 
Till  then  good-bye.  ..... 

Chamonix,  Wednesday,  July  30th. 
Monday  we  embarked  on  Lake  Leman  and  landed 
at  Chillon,  inspected  the  famous  castle,  saw  the  dun- 
geon of  Bonnivard  and  the  ring  to  which  he  was 
chained,  and  the  other  sights  of  this  renowned  prison! 
He-embarked  for  Bouveret  and  then  by  cars  up  a  most 
rugged  and  romantic  valley  to  Martigny,  fi'om  whence 
the  passes  over  the  St.  Bernard  and  Tete  Noir  start. 
Spent  the  night  here,  visiting  the  old  ruin  La  Batiaz 


250  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

in  the  evening.  Up  next  morning  at  half-past  five, 
visited  a  noted  gorge  and  waterfall,  back  to  breakfast 
at  eight ;  then  by  carriages  over  the  mountains  via  the 
Tete  Noire  down  into  the  valley  and  village  of  Cha- 
monix,  Mont  Blanc  rearing  his  hoary  head  of  eternal 
snow  grandly  np  before  onr  delighted  vision.  The 
day  was  simply  beantiful  and  unusual,  no  cloud  to  mar 
the  uninterrupted  view  of  the  mountain. 

"I  have  now  returned  from  a  trip  to  the  Mer  de 
Glace.  At  nine  this  morning,  mounted  on  a  mule, 
commenced  in  company  with  a  large  crowd,  the  ascent 
of  the  mountain,  on  attaining  the  summit  of  which  we 
looked  down  upon  the  'sea  of  ice.'  Our  mules  were 
then  sent  down  into  the  valley  to  re-ascend  on  the 
other  side  of  the  glacier  as  far  as  possible.  Then  with 
shoes  armed  with  hobnails  and  ourselves  with  alpen- 
stocks, we  placed  ourselves  in  charge  of  guides,  who 
piloted  us  across  the  glacier;  our  course  for  an  hour  or 
more  taking  us  up  a  rugged  path  over  boulders  brought 
down  in  ages  past  by  the  ice  flow. 

"Afterwards  along  a  path  hewn  by  the  edge  of  the 
mountain,  the  abyss  on  one  side,  the  perpendicular  rock 
on  the  other,  safety  however  being  secured  by  an  iron 
rail  fastened  to  the  rock,  of  which  we  could  seize  hold. 
In  time  we  met  our  mules;  then  down,  down,  to  the 
valley  and  a  two  or  three  miles  ride  brought  us  to  our 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  251 

hotel  at  three    o'clock,   having    made  the   trip   in  six 
hours. 

"Dr.  Grey  of  Utica  is  here  with  his  son;  he  crossed 
the  glacier  with  us;  the  last  I  saw  of  the  genial  doctor 
was  on  looking  back, — I  beheld  his  guide  grasping 
him  with  both  hands,  and  tugging  him  up  the  rugged 
path.  He  has  not  yet  arrived  and  it  is  four-fifteen. 
We  have  another  glorious  day.  To-morrow  to  Geneva, 
which  will  be  turning  towards  home.  Home!  how 
blessed!  ..... 

"Paeis,  Sunday^  August  3rd,  1879. 

"I  wrote  yoii  last  from  Chamouny  just  after  my 
mountain  and  glacier  trip.  Next  day  by  a  tedious  and 
warm  diligence  journey  we  arrived  at  Geneva,  where 
I    found  four  welcome  letters    from   you. 

We  remained  only  one  day  at  Geneva,  a 
beautiful  little  city  from  which  we  have  in  clear 
weather  a  fine  view  of  Mont  Blanc,  more  than  fifty 
miles  away.  This  evening,  from  the  lake,  the  mountain 
glowed  with  a  deep  pink  tint,  just  as  the  moon  with  a 
like  roseate  hue  climbed  slowly  fi'om  the  horizon  along- 
side the  majestic  and  glowing  mountain.  It  was  a 
sight  never  to  be  forgotten. 

"Yesterday  we  came  by  a  dusty  and  hot  rail-jour- 
ney to  the  city  brilliancies  of  Paris!     We  arrived  by 


252  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

moonliglit  and  lost  much  of  the  attractiveness  which  the 
activities  of  the  day  would  have  given,  but  we  gained 
all  the  weird  effects  that  moonlight  lent  to  the  scene. 
We  know  nothing  yet  about  the  city,  for  it  is  too  warm 
to  move  about  much  before  evening.  We  remain  here 
six  days;  then  on  to  London,  and  then  home.  I  am 
not  a  little  excited  by  all  I  behold  around  me,  but  still 
I  long  for  home.  If  you  were  with  me  and  I  were  not 
obliged  to  hurry  on  so  rapidly,  I  think  I  should  be 
content  to  stay  indefinitely;  but  as  it  is,  I  begin  to  tire 
of  the  work — for  it  amounts  to  work.     I  was  amused 

by  the   account  of  your   visit   to   E, ,    describing 

M 's  misadventure.    Tell  M I  shall  never  dare 

to  make  him  a  present  for  fear  some  '  Mick '  will  rob 
him."  .  .  .  . 

"  Paeis,  Wednesday  Morning^  August  6th,  1879. 

"  On  Sunday,  which  was  a  scorcher,  I  wrote  what  I 
fear  you  found  an  unsatisfactorily  short  letter;  this 
may  prove  no  better.  The  fact  is,  with  fatigue  and 
excitement,  I  can  hardly  attain  even  my  usual  small 
degree  of  patience  for  letter  writing.  You  know  how  I 
dread  the  mechanical  part  of  writing ;  if  I  could  tcdk 
letters,  you  would  receive  long  ones  daily. 

"  This  morning  as  I  lay  in  bed,  thinking  of  the 
actual  labor   of    sight  -  seeing,  I   shrank  from   it  and 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  258 

thought  how  glad  I  should  be  to  get  home  once  more. 
The  simple  fact  is,  this  doing  a  place  in  a  given  time  is 
a  grand  humbug,  unsatisfactory  and  fatiguing.  I  real- 
ized this  more  at  Yersailles,  where  amid  sights  and 
glories  that  would  have  required  days,  it  had  to  be 
compressed  into  a  few  hours.  It  is  true  I  have  seen, 
but  how  little  I  have  brought  away  with  me  is  fearfully 
apparent.  Madame  de  Maintenon's  residence  at  Tri- 
anon,— Petit  Trianon,  where  poor  Marie  Antoinette 
danced  on  the  threshold  of  a  volcano, — the  palace, 
now  filled  with  historical  paintings  illustrating  the 
glories  of  France,  I  have  looked  upon,  but  how  I  longed 
for  days  to  contemplate  and  admire!  The  paintings 
surpass  anything  I  have  yet  seen,  excepting  those  in  the 
Louvre,  and  the  gardens,  laid  out  on  a  scale  of  magnifi- 
cence, are  something  to  excite  wonder  as  well  as  admi- 
ration. Indeed,  when  I  look  upon  these  surroundings, 
I  can  appreciate  how  a  Frenchman  feels  when  he  cries 
out,  'La  belle  France!'  It  is  a  glorious  nation,  this 
French  people,  with  a  past  that  ought  to  make  them 
rejoice  in  their  inheritance. 

"On  Monday  we  drove  about  the  city  something  in 
the  following  order: — Place  de  la  Concorde,  Champs 
Elysees,  Arc  de  Triomphe,  etc. ;  yesterday,  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne,  and  so  on  through  the  programme.  To-day 
will  be  the  last  of  the  prescribed  drives,  when  we  shall 


254  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

have  a  few  days  to  ourselves,  then  on  to  England,  and 
then   home.  .  .  .  .  I    am    writing 

before  breakfast,  and  as  the  hour  is  at  hand,  must  close, 
and  after  breakfast  must  begin  the  tread-mill  of  sight- 
seeing! I  am  just  beginning  to  see  some  of  the  disad- 
vantages of  these  convenient  tours.'''' 

"  Grand  Hotel,  Brighton, 
^'■Sunday,  August  10th,  1879. 

"No  weary  and  worn  mariner  ever  longed  for  port 
and  home  more  than  I  have  since  receiving  your  let- 
ter on  Wednesday  last,  in  Paris.  I  had  already  begun 
to  weary  of  continual  motion.     Yesterday,  although  the 

rest  of  the  party  except  Dr.  H of  Boston  remained 

in  Paris,  I  came  on,  or  rather  started  for  London,  but 
found  I  could  lay  over  here  at  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated watering-places  in  England. 

"To  go  back: — On  Wednesday  we  accomplished  the 
last  of  the  three  day's  'excursions.'  Thursday  I 
looked  all  over  Paris  to  find  a  pair  of  spurs  like 
those  I  bought  in  Washington,  but  with  no  better  luck 
than  I  had  in  London.  In  the  afternoon  it  was  the 
Siege  of  Paris  and  Hotel  de  Cluny.  Paris  is  beauti- 
ful and  attractive,  but  I,  unfortunately,  am  wearied  of 
so  much  hard  work  in  sight-seeing,  and  am  confused 
by  its  rapidity.     Paris  undoubtedly  is  not  a  divine  city, 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  255 

but  to  see  its  wickedness  one  must  seek  it,  it  is  not 
thrust  upon  you.  In  London,  on  tlie  contrary,  it  is 
paraded,  and  even  protected  by  the  police. 

"Tou  see  by  the  cut  of  the  building  on  this  sheet, 
that  it  is  a  fine  hotel,  with  only  the  street  between  it 
and  the  sea.  Fronting  south  and  looking  out  upon  the 
channel,  we  have  before  us  a  fine  extent  of  beach,  and 
this  morning  before  breakfast  I  watched  the  bathers 
in  the  sui'f.  Last  evening  I  saw  the  Aquarium,  said 
to  be  one  of  the  most  complete  in  the  world.  This 
afternoon  I  go  on  to  London,  and  before  the  week  is 
out  I  hope  to  embark  for  home.        .  ,  .       My 

Summer  has  indeed  been  a  novel  one,  a  strano-e  sue- 
cession  of  new  sights  and  impressions.'' 

"Geaxd  Hotel,  Brighton, 

''Sunday,  August  10th,  1879. 
"I  have  just  written  you  a  letter  which  I  have 
sealed  and  mailed,  forgetting  to  enclose  the  promised 
Paris  programme.  I  should  like  to  accompany  this 
letter.  I  will  write  you  again  from  London  on  Tuesday, 
in  order  that  you  may  have  a  letter  a  day  or  two  in 
advance  of  me.  I  shall  sail  from  Liverpool  four  days 
after  I  mail  my  last  letter  fi'om  London." 


256  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"London,  August  lHh,  1879. 
"I  wrote  you  yesterday  from  Brighton,  and  came 
on  to  London  this  afternoon.  I  have  written  two,  and 
sometimes  three  letters  a  week,  to  make  them  narrators 
of  my  movements.  Writing  letters  under  the  circum- 
stances, is  no  easy  thing  to  accomplish.  I  fear  this 
correspondence  has  not  been  satisfactory.  I  know  it 
has  been  hurried.  Sometimes  I  have  arisen  at  unholy 
hours!  and  sometimes  I  have  written  late  at  night,  to 
fulfill  my  promised  quota.  .  .  .  This 

morning  I  found  foui'  letters  fi'om  you,  mailed  on  the 
24th,  28th,  and  29th  of  July.  I  opened  the  last  first 
in  order  to  get  the  latest  news."         .... 

"London,  August  12th,  1879. 

"Another  letter  of  July  30th  has  just  been  handed 
to  me.     You  have  been  most  prompt  in  writing, 

which  I  thoroughly   appreciate.     M said  to   me 

this  morning,  '  I  now  feel  as  though  I  was  almost  home 
again.'  But  the  two  weeks,  at  least,  which  must  elapse 
before  we  are  at  home,  seem  longer  to  me  than  did 
the  time  when,  at  Chamonix,  we  first  turned  back  on 
our  journey. 

"Yesterday  I  spent  at  Kensington  Gardens;  in  the 
evening,  at  the  Haymarket  where  Bose  Eytinge,  well 
supported,  played  to  a  beggarly  house. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  257 

This  afternoon  I  shall  go  to  the  British  Museum,  Re- 
gent's Park  and  Zoological  Gardens.  On  Thursday  we 
stai*t  for  Liverpool  via  Stratford-on-Avon  and  War- 
wick. On  Saturday  we  sail ;  this  will  be  the  last  letter 
I  can  get  to  you  before  sailing.  I  will  telegraph  you 
from  New  York.''  .  .  .  . 

"  S.  S.  Bothnia,  off  S.  W.  Coast  of  Ireland, 

''Nine  O'Clock  P.  J/..  Aiigusi  17fh,  1879. 

"  I  am  seated  in  the  saloon  of  our  unremarkable 
steamer  to  gratify  your  wish  to  have  me  write  a  letter 
to  hri7ig  ivifh  me!  Well,  to  begin.  Promptly  at  three 
o'clock  P.  M.  yesterday,  the  lighter  took  us  off  to  the 
steamer,  which  required  half  or  three-quarters  of  an 
hour.  Arriving  on  board,  I  inquired  for  letters,  but 
found  none!  I  was  more  than  disappointed!  But  in 
the  course  of  half  an  hour,  I  was  greeted  by  the  an- 
nouncement that  a  package  which  the  lighter  brought 
when  she  came  with  us,  contained  the  much  longed-for 
letter  from  you. 

'•At  six  o'clock  precisely,  we  flung  out  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  and  put  oui'  wheels  in  motion.  At  two 
o'clock  this  afternoon  we  steamed  into  the  Cove  of 
Cork,  or  as  it  is  now  called  Queenstown,  to  receive  the 
London  mail  and  a  few  additional  passengers.  We 
were  on  board  the  same  steamer,  and  lying  in  the  same 

17 


258  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

place,  and  for  the  same  purpose  as  on  the  seventeenth 
of  June  when  we  had  watched  the  Bothnia  take  to  the 
United  States  our  first  letters.  Now  from  the  steamer 
we  looked  up  at  the  eminence  from  which  we  then  had 
regarded  her,  but  how  different  it  all  was!  Then  we 
sped  off  our  letters  and  had  our  trip  before  us;  now, 
the  trip  completed,  we  were  impatient  of  delay,  every 
moment  seemed  an  hour,  and  we  longed  to  be  on  the 
wing.  I  at  least  was  anxious  to  annihilate  space.  As 
on  the  occasion  of  the  quick  passage  of  our  letters,  I 
hailed  it  as  a  favorable  omen  of  our  passage  to  you. 

At  last  the  mail  and  passengers 
were  all  on  board,  then  we  steamed  into  the  Channel, 
and  now  at  this  hour,  are  well  out  to  sea,  off  the  ex- 
treme south-west  coast  of  the  Green  Isle. 

'^Sunday,  August  24th. — Just  one  week  ago  I  wrote 
you  off  the  south-west  coast  of  Ireland;  now  we  are 
eight  hundred  miles  from  New  York,  and  shall  not,  at 
best,  be  able  to  reach  port  until  Wednesday  noon. 
Before  that  time,  no  doubt,  you  will  be  anxiously 
watching  for  the  arrival  of  the  Bothnia.  The  boat  is 
slow,  the  winds  constantly  ahead,  and  some  of  the  time 
fierce;  consequently  we  have  had  a  tedious  as  well  as 
a  rough  passage.  Monday  it  began  to  be  troublesome  to 
those  who  could  not  stand  the  motion.  Tuesday  and 
Wednesday  '  Joseph '   was    heard  from  on    all   sides ! 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  259 

The  tables  which  were  crowded  on  Sunday,  were  now 
sparsely  enough  occupied,  and  those  of  us  who  were 
able  to  be  on  hand  had  plenty  of  room.  R suc- 
cumbed at  once,  and  never  appeared  at  table  or  on  deck, 

until  yesterday  (Saturday).     C took  his  meals  on 

deck,  and  did  not  particularly  relish  them;  he  reap- 
peared at  table,  however,  on  Friday.      M ,  P 

and  I,  do  justice  to  our  meals. 

"  Three  days  of  fine  weather  have  given  us  better 
progress.  I  have  not  missed  a  single  meal;  in  fact  my 
happiest  moments  (although  the  fare  is  not  very  good) 
are  at  the  table.  The  motion  of  the  ship  made  my 
head  feel  badly,  but  my  stomach  was  proof  against  its 
influence ;  however,  three  or  four  days  are  quite  enough 
for  me  at  sea.  I  have  grown  impatient  over  the  slow 
old  boat,  wretched  weather,  abominable  table,  and 
nothing  to  while  away  the  time.  It  has  seemed  that  I 
must  drive  on  faster,  but  how  impotent  are  such  desires ! 
I  have  been  almost  as  much  demoralized  as  I  was 
during  those  last  ill  and  miserable  days  in  the  army. 
I  will  wire  you  as  soon  as  I  reach 
New  York."  .  .  .  . 


On  landing  in  New  York,  it  was^'a  matter  of  con- 
gratulation to  the  doctor  that  he  was  not  doomed  to  a 


260  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

hotel  on  the  European  plan.  When  sitting  down  to 
breakfast  at  the  "Fifth  Avenue,"  with  a  cantaloupe  in 
front  of  him,  he  again  congratulated  himself  that  he 
could  consult  his  menu,  and  give  an  unlimited  order 
without  contemplating  "  items." 

He  arrived  home  in  high  spirits,  had  forgotten  the 
"  slow  old  Bothnia,"  the  whirl  of  travel,  the  fatigue  of 
sight-seeing,  the  surfeit  of  paintings,  etc.,  and  was 
overflowing  with  recitals  of  his  new-found,  Old  World, 
experience,  and  said,  "We  must  go  over  in  a  year  or 
two.  I  want  you  to  hear  the  Bern  organ!  that,  alone, 
is  worth  crossing  the  ocean  for! " 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-SECOND. 

TN  the  following  OlJa  Podrida  from  niimeroiis  anec- 
^  dotes  wliicli  I  have  heard  the  doctor  relate  (some 
at  his  own  expense),  are  a  few  which  I  venture  to 
repeat. 

He  had  rendered  some  surgical  service  to  one  of  his 
confreres  belonging  to  another  school.  Still  partly 
under  the  influence  of  ether,  his  brother  doctor  said 
in  a  confidential  tone — "Gunn!  jou  are  not  such  a  fool, 
if  you  do  wear  long  hair." 

In  regard  to  his  hair,  he  often  threatened  to  cut  it 
off  or  shave  it,  and  it  required  all  his  wife's  diplomacy 
to  prevent  its  sacrifice. 

This  recalls  an  incident  of  his  earlier  professional 

days: — Dr.  P. ,  an  old  resident  physician  of  Detroit 

(a  retired  army  officer),  was  singularly  opposed  to  the 
connection  of  non-residents  with  the  University.  Out- 
wardly courteous,  there  was  a  latent  antagonism  that 
led  to  an  unwarrantable  and  undignified  attack  upon 
the  then  only  non-resident,  in  one  of  the  papers,  in 
which  this  paragraph  appeared: — "This  erudite  Pro- 

261 


262  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

fessorial  Apollo  drives  a  parti-colored  horse  with  white 
flowing  mane  and  tail,  up  and  down  the  avenue,  and 
curls  his  hair  with  curling  tongs!"  To  which  Doctor 
Gunn  replied,  "  'The  head  and  front  of  mine  offending ' 
is  a  parti-colored  horse !  My  venerable  critic,  much  to 
my  regret,  is  right  in  regard  to  the  diversified  color  of 
my  horse;  but  for  the  objectionable  kinks  in  my  hair, 
Nature,  alone,  is  responsible,  and  I  can  hardly  pluck  it 
out  to  mollify  him." 

There  had  been  a  sharp  controversy  between  the 
"Peninsular  Journal"  and  the  "Medical  Independent," 
before  Doctor  Gunn  became  editor  of  the  latter.  A 
complimentary  contemporary  noticing  its  editorial 
changes,  among  other  comments  says: — "We  thought 
when  seeing  Professor  Gunn's  name  upon  the  cover  of 
the  'Independent,'  that  resort  had  been  made  to  the 
ordinary  custom  in  military  practice,  of  turning  cap- 
tured guns  upon  the  enemy  fi*om  whom  they  were 
taken,  and  we  opened  the  book  rather  expecting  some 
home  shots.  But  we  were  mistaken,  and  found  the  gun 
had  been  christened  'Peace-Maker!'  Henceforth  we 
opine  the  war  is  ended." 

The  doctor  in  reply  says: — "Whether  we  shall  de- 
serve the  honorable  title  of  'Peace-Maker'  the  future 
will  alone  determine."     In  this  connection  Dr.  Gunn  in 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  263 

his  Salutatory,  gives  his  opinion  on  the  subject  of  con- 
troversies : — 

"  Salutatoey. — With  the  present  number,  the  sub- 
scriber assumes  joint  proprietor-  and  editorship  of  the 
Medical  Independent ;  and  before  retiring  behind  the 
editorial  'we,'  he  wishes,  even  at  the  risk  of  incurring 
the  charge  of  egotism,  to  appear  before  the  fraternity 
and  his  readers,  in  the  fii'st  person  singular. 

"From  the  sixth  number,  the  Independent  has  been 
involved  with  a  contemporary,  in  a  controversy,  which 
has  partaken  largely  of  a  personal  nature.  This  con- 
troversy has  been  regretted  by  many,  including  warm 
adherents  of  the  journal  and  members  of  the  profession 
at  large,  and  has  frequently  prompted  the  inquiry,  so 
often  provoked  on  other  occasions,  'Why  will  Doctors 
quarrel  ? ' 

"The  harmony  of  the  legal  profession,  forensic  as 
it  is  in  its  practice,  is  cited  as  presenting  a  striking 
contrast  to  the  quarrelsome  proclivities  of  our  own. 
While,  from  my  relation  to  both  parties,  I  refrain  from 
interference,  I  remark  in  reference  to  the  general  sub- 
ject, that  the  answer  and  explanation  lie  patent  upon 
the  surface  of  facts  presented  in  the  contrast.  From 
the  nature  of  the  practice,  men  destitute  of  ability  and 
acquirement  cannot  rise  in  the  legal  profession.     In 


264  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

whatever  specialty  the  aspirant  may  engage,  merit 
alone  will  advance  him.  The  opinions  of  the  counselor 
are  to  be  tried  by  those  of  counsel  enlisted  in  opposing 
interests.  The  persuasion  and  logic  of  the  advocate, 
are  met  by  their  like.  Legal  opinions  and  logical  de- 
ductions are  to  be  weighed  in  the  scales  of  impartial 
justice,  and  persuasive  or  peremptory  eloquence  in  the 
influence  it  exerts,  registers  a  just  estimate  of  its  force. 
Hence,  in  the  law,  men  soon  find  their  true  level,  and 
standing  competitors  feel  themselves  peers.  Mutual 
respect,  confidence  and  harmony  are  the  natural  re- 
sults. 

"With  the  medical  profession  it  is  widely  different. 
In  practice,  the  acquirement  and  skill  of  competitors 
are  not  brought  in  contact.  Medical  practice  is  a  broad 
field,  in  which  truth  and  falsehood,  education  and 
ignorance,  refinement  and  vulgarity,  dignity  and  buf- 
foonery are  often  competitors  for  patronage,  and  not 
infrequently  the  worse  leading  the  better  in  the  strife. 
The  public  are  not  capable  of  judging  medical  doc- 
trines nor  medical  men:  hence  the  crudities,  the 
vagaries  and  the  delusions  which  infest  not  only  the 
public,  but  at  times  even  the  profession  itself.  It  is 
not  unjust  to  say  that  all  these  find  lodgment  in  all 
classes  of  society,  not  excluding  the  most  cultivated  and 
intellectual. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  265 

"Such  being  the  case,  it  is  not  strange  that  in  the 
ranks  of  legitimate  medicine,  where  may  be  found  men 
of  almost  every  grade  of  endowment  and  acquirement, 
competitors  should  frequently  chance  to  be  men  un- 
worthy, morally  or  mentally,  of  each  other.  Nor  are 
the  consequences  more  strange;  distrust,  jealousy  and 
contempt  naturally  follow,  and  where  these  qualities 
prevail,  bitterness  soon  reigns.  Misunderstandings, 
misinterpretations  and  aversion  to  explanations  are 
frequent,  and  thus  when  controversies  arise,  they  are 
apt  to  assume  a  personal  and  bitter  character. 

"  In  the  existing  state  of  the  profession,  such  con- 
troversies are  not  altogether  unproductive  of  good. 
To  be  deplored  they  certainly  are,  not  alone  from  the 
attitude  in  which  the  public  beholds  us,  but  also  from 
the  fact  that  they  cultivate  a  spirit,  which,  from  the 
peculiar  natui*e  of  matters  already  explained,  is  but  too 
prone  to  manifest  itself.  Still  they  are  not  destitute  of 
good  results.  Entertaining  these  views,  and  perhaps 
not  deploring  controversy  as  deeply  as  some  of  my 
medical  brethren,  I  shall,  notwithstanding,  strive  to 
avoid  its  tumult.  I  shall  not  be  the  aggressor  in  per- 
sonalities, but  will  manifest,  should  occasion  require, 
even  a  laudable  forbearance  in  this  respect,  and  trust 
that  the  hand  thus  fraternally  extended,  may  meet 
with  a  response  prompted  by  fraternal  hearts. 


266  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"Books,  writings,  public  teachings  and  existing 
evils  are,  I  conceive,  legitimate  subjects  of  criticism, 
and  in  the  discharge  of  editorial  duties,  I  should  deem 
myself  highly  culpable  in  shrinking  from  their  full 
performance.  Adopting  as  a  motto,  'Full  and  exact 
justice  to  all  men,'  I  will  zealously  labor  in  the  edi- 
torial field,  for  the  true  interests  and  progress  of 
medicine." 

Later  on,  when  the  "Peninsular  Journal"  "poured 
out  of  its  editorial  Pitcher"  some  of  these  aggressive 
personalities,  they  were  cleverly  answered  by  the  doctor. 

A  well  known  physician  of  Michigan,  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  circumstances,  has  furnished  the  fol- 
lowing paragraphs  with  regard  to  the  founding  of  the 
new  medical  journal : — 

"It  is  difficult  if  not  impossible,  at  this  distance  of 
time,  and  after  the  radical  changes  in  the  mode  of 
thought  of  the  medical  profession,  to  appreciate  the 
new  era  which  the  establishment  of  the  '  Medical  Inde- 
pendent' hailed. 

"A  few  years  previously  a  colleague  of  Professor 
Gunn,  in  the  Medical  Department  of  the  University, 
had  pronounced  an  address  before  one  of  the  medical 
classes  which  demanded  in  no  uncertain  terms,  advance 
to  a  higher  plane  of  professional  thought  and  endeavor. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  267 

The  leading  dictum  was:  The  Science  of  Medicine 
should  be  looked  upon  and  studied  like  all  other  sci- 
ences, and  that  portion  which  did  not  stand  the  test 
should  be  mercilessly  discarded.  The  doctrines  of  the 
address  provoked  much  of  acrid  contrqversy  and  serious 
comment  among  the  medical  societies. 

"  There  was  at  that  time  living  in  Detroit  an  accom- 
plished and  brilliant  young  physician,  Dr.  L.  G.  Rob- 
inson, who  at  first  was  strongly  inclined  to  look  upon 
the  author  as  almost  if  not  altogether  a  professional 
heretic.  Swayed  by  this  feeling  he  introduced  to  the 
Detroit  Medical  Society  a  series  of  resolutions  demand- 
ing of  the  medical  faculty  of  the  University  whether 
or  no  they  indorsed  the  'paradoxes  and  dogmas'  con- 
tained in  the  address.  Without  entering  into  details, 
it  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  within  a  brief  period.  Dr. 
Robinson  himself  announced  his  full  adhesion  to  the, 
at  that  time,  novel  proposition  that  medical  science  is 
not  exempt  from  the  crucial  test  of  Baconian  induction. 
It  may  be  noted,  that  a  few  years  after,  the  author  of 
the  disturbing  addi'ess  was  elected  President  of  the 
State  Medical  Society  of  Michigan  on  the  issues  there- 
in provoked. 

"  In  full  accordance  with  these  principles,  an  effort 
was  initiated  to  have  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  removed  from  Ann  Arbor  to  Detroit  so  that 


268  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

students  could  be  taught  practically  as  well  as  theoret- 
ically. To  this  result  the  '  Medical  Independent '  lent 
its  support,  but  as  yet  this  desirable  object  has  not 
been  effected.  Nevertheless  the  establishment  of  the 
'  Independent '  p;"oved  a  most  powerful  factor  in  awak- 
ening the  profession  of  the  state  to  a  wider  and 
profounder  comprehension  of  great  underlying  princi- 
ples. It  sparkled  with  contributions  from  the  leading 
wi'iters,  observers,  and  thinkers  of  the  state.  When 
ultimately  it  was  merged  in  the  compromise  journal 
which  succeeded  it,  a  neutrality  was  secured  which 
placated  the  Ann  Arbor  coterie,  but  with  a  loss  to  the 
profession  of  the  ablest  organ  of  its  highest  thoughts 
and  its  supremest  deserts  " 


In  looking  over  the  pages  of  the  "Independent" 
the  following  excerpt  from  Doctor  Gunn's  comments 
on  a  surgical  case  is  taken  as  giving  a  perspicuous  idea 
of  his  general  views  with  regard  to  the  value  of  so- 
called  medicinal  treatment,  not  only  in  external  but 
also  in  internal  disease — doctrines  not  then  generally 
accepted,  although  now  almost  universally  prevalent : — 

"  The  above  case  affords  a  striking  illusti*ation  of 
the  evil  effects  of  ill-applied  and  profuse  medication. 
There  is  not,  in  my  mind,  the  least  doubt  that  recovery 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  269 

would  have  followed  entire  abstinence  from  medicine, 
and  the  continuation  of  generous  diet.  The  free  sup- 
puration which  followed  the  inflamed  condition  of  the 
wound,  was  exhausting  in  its  tendency,  and  called  for 
supporting  treatment;  it  received  the  reverse;  the  pros- 
trating effects  of  the  medicine  favored  the  formation  of 
pus,  and  thus,  in  addition  to  its  direct  tendency,  con- 
tributed to  exhaust  the  patient.  It  was  a  direct  and 
absolute  agent  for  evil.  There  was  no  indication  for 
medicine;  yet  how  few  have  the  courage  to  say  as  much 
to  a  patient! 

"  'I  felt  some  hesitancy  in  putting  forth  that  book.' 
The  distinguished  author  of  '  New  Remedies  '  spake 
thus  in  reference  to  this  work.  The  reason  assigned 
for  this  hesitancy  was,  that  he  feared  that  he  was  en- 
couraging the  disposition  manifested  by  the  profession 
to  administer,  and  the  people  to  take  too  much  medi- 
cine. There  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  fact,  there  is  too 
much  medicine  swallowed.  There  is  also  no  doubt 
that  physicians  prescribe  too  much  of  the  same  article, 
and  too  little  of  that  which  pertains  to  diet  and  regimen. 
They  rely  too  implicitly  on  the  supposed  curative  prop- 
erties of  medicines. 

"The  reason  of  the  disposition  alluded  to  by  Dr. 
Dunglison,  and  which  he  feared  he  was  encouraging, 
lies    in    an    altogether    mistaken   idea  of  the   relation 


270  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

which  a  medicine  bears  to  a  disease,  and  to  the  recuper- 
ative process.  I  unhesitatingly  make  the  assertion, 
that  medicine  never  cured  disease — that  there  is  no 
direct  relation  between  a  medicine  and  a  disease — that 
there  is  no  mysterious  curative  tendency  in  any  medi- 
cine. There  is  only  one  curative  tendency,  and  that 
lies  in  the  organism — it  is  innate  with  the  being — it  is 
a  necessary  part  of  its  existence  and  undoubtedly  is  the 
same  force  which  tends  to  preserve  it,  ^nd  presides  over 
its  unceasing  changes — it  is  everywhere  present  in 
organic  life — it  heals  over  an  abrasion  in  the  plant  and 
closes  up  a  wound  in  a  man — it  enables  the  drooping 
flower  to  revive  and  bloom  afresh,  and  the  crowning 
work  of  creation  to  arouse  and  throw  off  a  syncope. 

"The  means  of  calling  this  curative  force  into  action 
are  manifold,  but  a  cure  is  effected  only  through  its 
agency.  The  most  that  a  medicine  can  do  is  to  arouse 
it  to  action  in  some  instances,  and  favor  its  operation 
in.  others.  There  is  no  direct  relation  between  an  in- 
flammation and  the  lancet,  or  tart,  antim.,  or  verat.  vir., 
or  cal.  and  opium;  yet  any  of  these  agents  may  not 
only  be  useful  but  absolutely  indispensable,  by  so 
affecting  the  system  as  to  favor  the  operation  of  this 
venerable  but  much  ignored  '  vis  medicatrix  naturce.'' 
We  bleed  for  acute  pleuritis,  yet  who  will  say  that 
there  is  a  direct  relation  between  the  lancet  and  the 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  271 

disease?  A  recoveiy  follows,  but  tvIlo  will  say  that 
the  loss  of  twenty  ounces  of  blood  cured  the  inflamma- 
tion? It  simply  so  impressed  the  system  as  to  favor 
the  cnratiye  effort  of  nature — an  effort  that  will  often- 
times be  successful  without  aid,  though  at  others 
imperatively  requiring  it,  and  failing  in  its  absence. 

"The  antagonism  between  quinine  and  an  ague, 
would  seem  to  realize  a  direct  relation  between  a  medi- 
cine and  a  disease — in  other  words,  the  idea  of  a 
specific;  but  a  strong  mental  emotion  may  accomplish 
the  same  result.  An  old  pioneer  in  this  state  suffered 
for  many  successive  years  from  an  ague,  which  quinine 
finally  failed  to  cure.  Other  remedies,  also,  were  at  last 
powerless,  and  in  spite  of  all  medication,  each  alternate 
day  brought  its  paroxysm  of  chill,  fever  and  perspira- 
tion. Pui'suing  his  way  along  a  woodland  path  one 
day,  his  ague  surprised  him  an  hour  earlier  than  usual. 
Hurrying  home  as  fast  as  his  shivering,  chattering 
condition  would  permit,  his  progress  was  suddenly 
interi*upted  by  the  appearance  in  his  path  of  a  huge 
black  bear.  For  a  moment  the  two  stood  gazing  at 
each  other,  the  man  perfectly  paralyzed  with  fear,  after 
which  the  bear  trotted  off,  leaving  the  patient  minus 
the  chill,  with  the  sweating  stage  fully  developed,  with- 
out the  intervention  of  the  fever.  The  disease  was 
effectually  broken  up,  and  there  was  no  return  of  it  for 


272  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

several  yeai's.  What  was  the  relation  between  a  dose 
of  living  black  bear  and  the  ague?  Direct?  or  indi- 
rect? Did  it  operate  as  a  specific?  or,  through  the 
impressibility  of  the  system? 

"  Within  the  past  few  years  many  undoubted  re- 
coveries fi'om  pulmonary  phthisis  have  resulted  fi'om 
the  free  use  of  oleum  jecoris  aselli,  with  and  without 
brandy,  and  with  appropriate  regimen.  Do  such 
results  indicate  a  direct  relation  between  the  remedies 
and  the  malady?  Fat  beef,  butter  and  good  ale  will 
succeed  as  often,  and  the  explanation  is  to  be  found  in 
the  physiology  of  nutrition,  and  the  pathology  of  the 
disease.  And  in  this  connection  may  be  expressed  the 
belief,  that  if  the  various  forms  of  cancer  are  ever 
cured,  it  will  be  through  influences  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  function  of  nutrition. 

"Divest  medicine  of  the  idea  of  its  mysterious 
relation  to  disease,  and  the  seductive  charm  which  leads 
to  its  continual  administration  is  lost,  and  much  less 
will  be  exhibited.  When  the  object  is  to  restore  sus- 
pended or  impaired  functions,  or  to  alter  and  improve 
the  process  of  nutrition,  by  supplying  or  withholding 
certain  elements,  and  so  ordering  the  regimen  as  to 
derive  the  greatest  possible  good  from  such  elements, 
medication  will  become  defijiite,  certain   and  moderate. 

"If  the  object  is  to  effect  a  given  result  by  oper- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  273 

ating  on  the  impressibility  of  the  system,  medication 
will  be  so  conducted  as  simply  to  produce  a  desired 
effect,  leaving  to  nature  the  real  curative  work.  Too 
much  medicine  is  administered  by  continuing  its  exhi- 
bition too  long.  It  is  comparatively  easy  to  learn  when 
and  how  to  commence  giving  medicine,  but  hard  to 
learn  when  to  leave  off — so  hard  indeed  that  some  men 
seem  never  to  learn  the  lesson.  There  is  no  course 
more  injurious  to  the  real  benefit  to  be  derived  from 
medicine,  than  the  blind  and  unphilosophical  exhibition 
of  remedies  by  the  clock.  Doses  should  be  repeated, 
or  not,  according  to  the  effect  produced,  and  not  accord- 
ing to  the  time  which  has  elapsed.  But  I  forbear,  and 
while  I  express  an  abiding  faith  in  remedial  measures, 
confess  to  a  growing  dread  of  hyper-medication." 


18 


CHAPTER    TWEIsTTY-THIRD.  . 

TTNFOKTUNATELY  for  Doctor  Gunn,  a  book  en- 
^  titled  "Gunn's  Domestic  Medicine"  was  largely- 
attributed  to  him.  One  day  when  he  received  one  of 
these  "infernal  letters,"  as  he  called  them,  asking  about 
his  book,  Dr.  A who  was  present  remarked  face- 
tiously, "Gunn,  you  ought  to  have  a  royalty  on  that 
work!  half  the  people  who  buy  it  think  it's  yoursy 

During  a  convention  of  the  American  Medical 
Association  in  one  of  the  southern  cities,  standing  on 
the  gallery  of  one  of  the  hotels,  was  a  group  of  medi- 
cal men.      A  physician  standing  apart  with  Dr.  H , 

of  St.  Louis,  pointing  to  the  doctor,  asked,  "  Who  is 
that?"      "Why,  it's  Gunn!  don't  you  know  him?  he 

always  wears  some  d odd  thing  on  his  head,  but 

he  is  a  capital  fellow,  and  I  will  introduce  you." 

Peddlers  in  any  form  were  his  aversion.  One  of 
these  itinerant  fiends  had  just  handed  in  a  package, 
when  the  vender  was  surprised  before  half  way  down 
the  walk  by  his  package,  which  came  whirling  after 
him.     On  the  fly-leaf  of  one  of  his  books  is  written, 

274 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  275 

"  Bouglit  of  the  AutlioT  to  get  quit  of  him."  With 
inward  amusement,  eyidently  at  the  recollection,  he 
said:  —  "To-day  in  my  office  was  the  smartest  book- 
agent  I  ever  saw !  at  least  the  fellow  discovered  how  to 
manage  me.  He  knew  just  what  to  say,  and  how  to 
say  it.  The  very  last  thing  I  wanted  was  his  book,  but 
he  talked  and  I  subscribed!  " 

Occasionally  when  on  horse-back,  he  was  the  sub- 
ject of  speculation.  Eiding  slowly  one  day  in  the 
yicinity  of  three  small  "Emerald  Islanders,"  the  pluck- 
iest accosted  him: — "Say  now,  Mister,  ain't  yez  a 
doctor  ?  "  Second  rough  Emerald  with  disgust : — "Can't 
ye  see  he  ain't  no  doctor?  fellers  don't  look  that  way 
when  they're  dodors!^''  This  equivocal  compliment 
was  followed  by  the  thii'd,  who,  staring  with  wide-eyed 
wonder  and  equally  puzzled  in  his  diagnosis,  shouted 

after  him: — "Mister,   why  the  h can't  ye   iell  a 

feller?  "  This  rough  incident  perhaps  needs  extenua- 
tion, but  I  can  never  forget  the  way  the  doctor  told  it, 
and, 

"  I  laugh  that  I  may  not  ireep." 


Doctor   Gunn  was   exceptionally  kind  to   children 
under  his  surgical  care.     He  was  greatly  interested  in 


276  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

a  young  patient,  Winifred  D ,  who  usually  came  to 

his  office  and  frequently  brought  him  flowers. 

A  bisque  basket  of  lovely  design,  filled  with  the 
choicest  roses,  was  sent  to  him  one  Christmas  morning. 
Admiring  the  beautiful  gift,  which  bore  no  name,  he 
said  with  feeling,  "  It  must  be  from  my  little  floioer 
patient. " 

A  child  that  had  been  cruelly  burned  he  worked 
over  for  more  than  two  years ;  she  was  a  small  philoso- 
pher. Though  her  beauty  was  destroyed  she  counted 
it  as  nothing  and  was  always  cheerful  and  happy. 

A  thoughtful  friend  sent  me  the  following  article 
by  Dr.  Rachel  Hickey.  In  connection  with  the  doctor, 
she  mentions  this  unrepining  and  unfortunate  little 
sufferer : 

"  In  our  profession  we  meet  some  of  the  best  men 
in  the  world,  those  who  rival  women  in  tenderness  and 
patience,  yea,  excel  many  of  them,  and  yet  lack  no 
manly  trait.  Such  was  the  lamented  Dr.  Moses  Gunn. 
I  came  in  daily  contact  with  him  when  I  was  head 
nurse  at  the  Presbyterian  Hospital  for  three  months. 

"Among   our  patients  was   a  burned  girl,   Annie 

P .     This  great,  busy,  skilled  surgeon  would  allow 

no  one  but  himself  to  dress  little  Annie.  Every  after- 
noon punctual  to  the  minute,  he  would  make  his  appear- 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  277 

ance,  sometimes  in  his  riding-suit,  looking  like  a 
prince  of  Arthur's  Round  Table.  His  proud,  perfectly 
erect  carriage,  his  beautiful  white  curls,  his  riding 
boots  and  spurs  were  the  admiration  of  all.  Annie 
looked  for  his  coming  as  the  event  of  the  day.  She 
ran  to  meet  hipa,  took  his  hand,  and  they  chatted 
together  as  two  children.  When  the  material  was 
ready  he  would  take  her  on  his  knee  and  say,  '  Now, 
little  Annie,'  in  such  a  tender,  cheerful  way  that  it 
made  a  lasting  impression  on  me.  Once  he  forgot  and 
spoke  in  her  presence  of  some  little  operation  he 
intended  making.  At  her  cry  of  terror,  he  folded  her 
in  his  arms  and  comforted  her  as  few  mothers  could 
have  done. 

"  He  was  just  to  women,  just  and  nothing  more.  If 
they  did  well  he  gave  them  full  credit;  if  they  were 
inefficient  he  made  no  secret  of  the  fact.  It  has  been 
the  custom  at  Rush,  our  oldest  and  wealthiest  medical 
college,  and  the  one  with  which  his  name  is  associated, 
to  have  questions  sent  down  during  a  lecture,  to  be 
answered  by  the  professor  at  its  close.  One  of  the  slips 
sent  to  Dr.  Gunn  read : — '  What  do  you  think  of  women 
in  medicine?'  The  answer  was  something  as  follows: 
— 'Gentlemen,  a  few  years  ago,  I  should  not  have  hesi- 
tated for  a  reply.  I  was  spending  a  month  or  so  north, 
trying  to  get  rest  and  change  to  prepare  myself  for  the 


278  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

winter  term  here,  my  private  practice  and  my  not  easy 
duties  at  the  County  Hospital.  My  feelings  are  not  to 
be  described  when  I  was  informed  by  letter  that  my 
assistant  at  the  hospital  for  my  coming  service  was  to 
be  a  woman.  I  was  furious.  If  I  could  have  seen  the 
Commissioners  I  would  have  resigned  instantly.  I 
knew  some  of  my  cases  there  were  to  be  difficult  and 
interesting,  and  I  did  not  want  their  success  l^zarded 
by  placing  them  in  a  woman's  charge.  But  I  could  do 
nothing  at  such  a  distance.  Time  cooled  my  wrath  a 
little.  On  my  return,  I  decided  to  see  that  woman  and 
make  her  conscious  of  her  inability.  But,  gentlemen, 
I  never  had  such  an  assistant  before;  I  never  have  had 
such  an  one  since.'  He  referred  to  Dr.  Mary  E.  Bates, 
the  first  woman  to  serve  at  this  hospital." 


CHAPTER   TWE]:!TTT-FOUETH. 

PvOCTOE  GUNN  was  the  soul  of  punctuality,  you 
^  could  count  upon  liim  to  the  minute;  his  work 
was  arranged  and  mapped  out;  even  when  in  general 
practice  he  was  seldom  late  to  dinner.  This  point  of 
punctuality  brings  me  to  an  amusing  though  by  no 
means  an  exceptional  circumstance.  We  were  having 
a  very  good  time  at  dinner  when  a  wiitten  message  was 
handed  to  the  doctor  to  ''Come  in  haste."  He  pon- 
dered it  a  moment,  then  lifted  up  his  voice: — ^^ Hoiv  in 
the  name  of  all  thafs  holy  do  people  manage  to  get 
bones  in  their  throats  at  such  unseasonable  hoicrsf 
With  drollery  his  daughter  replied,  "Papa,  probably  if 
they  had  known  you  were  at  dinner,  they  would  have 
managed  to  get  the  bone  in  afterward."  This  ludi- 
crous remark,  taken  together  with  his  own,  raised  a  peal 
of  laughter,  amidst  which  with  a  broad  smile  he  left 
the  table  and  responded  to  the  call. 

The  doctor's  orderly  habits,  like  his  punctuality, 
were  observed  in  his  home.  He  disliked  getting 
accustomed   to   finding   things    in   new  places.     In  a 

279 


280  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

jocose,  half-earnest  way  he  would  assert: — "If  I  could, 
I  would  have  exerj  piece  of  furniture  in  this  room 
made  to  fit  some  place  and  have  it  fastened  there.  God 
be  praised  that  no  one  can  turn  the  bed  upside  down!" 
He  responded  with  as  much  alacrity  to  the  ring  of  a 
small  rising  bell  as  if  a  life  depended  upon  it.  He 
seldom  failed  to  hear  this  summons;  if  he  did,  I  in- 
formed him  in  less  than  a  minute,  that  the  bell  had 
rung!  Starting  up  from  a  sound  sleep  he  would  say 
with  alert,  anxious  avidity,  and  a  boyish  freshness 
which  was  both  amusing  and  attractive,  ''Why  didnH 
you  iell  me  sooner f^^ 

Sometimes  I  drove  with  him  when  he  made  profes- 
sional visits  on  the  borders  of  the  city.  I  had  learned 
to  be  prompt;  yet  he  would  invariably  say  on  these 
occasions,   '"Be  ready  .  .  .  don't  keep 

me  waiting."  The  pleasant,  cheerful  way  he  pro- 
nounced the  diminutive  for  my  name,  was  in  itself  a 
sufficient  incentive  never  to  keep  him  waiting. 

One  day  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city  he  left  me  to 
act  as  hitching-post — not  a  coveted  position.  I  usually 
required  the  horse,  or  horses  to  be  tied,  so  that  in  case 
anything  should  happen^  I  might  be  at  liberty  to  jump 
out.  On  this  particular  occasion  I  concluded  that 
di'iving  would  be  less  monotonous,  but  discovered,  soon 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  281 

after  starting,  a  ditch  on  either  side  of  the  road  which 
deterred  me  from  attempting  to  turn  round.  His  call 
finished,  he  came  out  and  discovered  his  horses,  vehicle 
and  hitching-post  half  a  mile  from  the  spot.  The  only 
way  he  could  reach  them  was  by  walking  over  the 
muddy  road.  After  hearing  my  story  (I  wondered  he 
was  not  cross!),  he  said  good  naturedly,  "I  think  here- 
after I  shall  trust  to  an  inanimate  post,  that  will  not 
serve  me  the  trick  of  driving  half-tvay  to  Englewood — 
to  find  a  good  place  to  turn  round.'''' 


Doctor  Gunn's  mechanical  ability  was  exhibited 
in  various  directions.  Many  of  his  surgical  appliances 
were  made  according  to  his  own  ideas  of  excellence  or 
convenience.  Some  of  these  instruments  he  originated, 
and  others  he  improved.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
had  tried  in  different  cities,  both  at  home  and  abroad, 
to  replace  a  pair  of  light  spurs.       Being   unsuccessful, 

he  asked  W ,  his  eldest   son,  who  inherited  some 

genius   in  the  same  direction,  to   design  and  carve  a 

model  from  which  a  pair  could  be  cast.     W made 

and  carded  the  design,  but  his  father,  wishing  some 
little  alteration,  concluded  to  make  another  model  him- 
self. These  spurs  when  finished  were  heavily  plated 
with  gold  and  when  not  in  use  were  kept  on  the  doctor's 


282  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

dressing-bureau,  and  are  now  souvenirs  of  inestimable 
value. 

Desiring  a  model  for  some  purpose,  he  called  his 
colored  man  into  his  office,  and  without  further  prelim- 
inary said: — "Alex.,  I  have  noticed  that  you  have  a 
pretty  fair-shaped  leg;  sit  down  and  let  me  take  a  cast 
of  it."  The  man  had  lived  with  the  doctor  eighteen 
years,  and  had  great  confidence  in  him,  but  not  entirely 
comprehending,  said: — "Doctor,  I'm  puffectly  willin' 
to  put  my  leg  or  any  thing  else  to  your  sarvice,  so  as 
only  you  don't  cut  it  off^  The  doctor  laughingly: 
"  No,  Alex.,  we  won't  do  anything  so  bad  as  that.  I 
should  feel  worse  than  you  would  to  have  you  lose  a 
leg  in  my  service." 

A  number  of  years  before  this  another  member  of 
his  family  was  temporarily  made  a  martyr  to  his  cause. 
He  was  on  his  way  to  Marshall  to  make  some  opera- 
tion on  the  eye.  I  accompanied  him  to  visit  an  old 
school-fi'iend  in  the  interval.  He  Avas  young  and  am- 
bitious of  success.  When  well  on  our  journey  he  said: 
"  Let  me  put  a  little  belladonna  in  your  eye."  He 
had  an  insinuating  manner  which  usually  prevailed. 
The  drop,  if  not  too  much,  certainly  was  not  too  little; 
it  produced  a  dazed,  unmanageable  vision,  making 
everybody  in  the  car  look  queer.  This  I  communi- 
cated to  the  doctor  with  some  alarm.     Taking  from  his 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  283 

vest  a  tiny  mirror,  with  a  glance  which  I  did  not  then 
fully  understand,  he  said  "Look!"  adding,  "It  is 
nothing;  the  peculiar  sensation  will  soon  pass  away." 
I  looked!  and  was  sufficiently  horrified  to  please  him, 
but  he  never  again  (to  my  knowledge)  experimented 
on  me. 

I  remember  his  relating  with  amusement  an  inci- 
dent of  his  earlier  practice: — A  bright  woman  from 
the  country  came  to  consult  him  about  a  minor  opera- 
tion and  where  it  should  be  performed.  His  answer 
was,  "  You  had  better  come  to  the  office,  my  time  is 
too  valuable  to  go  into  the  country  for  so  small  an 
operation,  unless  you  are  regardless  of  expense."  She 
came  to  his  office.  The  operation  was  nearly  finished, 
when  she  noticed  that  he  was  waiting.  Looking  up 
with  great  apparent  concern,  she  exclaimed,  "Doctor, 
what  is  the  matter?"  "Nothing,  my  good  woman; 
don't  worry,  I  am  obliged  to  wait  a  moment."  Humor- 
ously, she  retorted:  "O!  I  don't  mind,  only  it  is  such 
a  pity  that  a  man  should  be  kept  waiting  by  any 
ivoman  when  his  time  is  so  valuable  as  yours! " 

I  noticed  in  one  of  the  doctor's  journals  a  paragraph 
written  by  him,  thirty  years  ago,  when  tracheotomy 
was  considered  a  more  doubtful  and  far  less  successful 
operation  than  it  now  is.  He  says: — "  There  is  perhaps 
no  operation  which  is  more  dreaded  than  tracheotomy. 


284  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

The  class  of  patients  who  require  it,  the  gravity  of  the 
cause  which  deniands  it,  together  with  the  uncertainty 
of  vascular  distribution,  all  conspire  to  make  the  opera- 
tion one  of  the  most  vexatious  in  the  whole  range  of 
operative  surgery." 

He  was  called  in  consultation  nearly  eighteen  years 
ago,  to  perform  tracheotomy  on  a  child  that  was  sup- 
posed to  be  dying.  The  physicians  informed  the 
parents  that  the  success  of  the  operation  was  extremely 
doubtful,  and  that  the  child  might  die  under  it.  The 
father  despairingly  asked  Doctor  Gunn  what  possibility 
there  was  of  saving  his  little  daughter.  "  About  as 
much,"  he  replied,  "  as  there  would  be  of  drawing  the 
Opera  House  at  a  lottery."  It  was  a  moment  of  in- 
tense solicitude,  but  the  result  was  quickly  ascertained, 
when  the  doctor  joyfully  announced  "  We  have  won  the 
Opera  House!"  This  incident  was  told  to  me  by  rela- 
^  tives  of  the  family.  For  weeks  the  child  was  prostrated, 
but  recovered,  and  now  rejoices  in  being  a  beautiful 
young  woman. 

At  one  time  the  doctor  was  devoted  to  astronomy, 
and  had  fitted  up  on  his  grounds  an  observatory  with  a 
fine  telescope.  He  had  been  up  several  times  watching 
the  sidereal  heavens,  when  just  before  sunrise,  he 
rushed  in  and  exclaimed,  excitedly,  "I  have  seen  Mer- 
cury! Copernicus  died  without  the  sight!"     One  of  his 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  285 

greatest  pleasures,  was  showing  to  his  family  and 
friends  the  stars  and  planets.  Some  were  fortunate  in 
beholding  Saturn  in  the  period  of  his  glory,  when  the 
planet  "  like  a  magnificent  golden  ball  was  engirdled 
by  its  ring  of  golden  light."  Young  people  \dsited  the 
observatory,  ostensibly  to  view  the  heavenly  bodies,  but 
their  speculations  were  speedily  merged  into  the  more 
earthly  interests  of  their  own. 

Sometimes  on  clear  moonless  nights,  when  we  were 
on  the  gallery,  he  would  point  out  radiant  stars  that 
vied  with  Yenus  in  brilliancy.  Each  new  acquaint- 
ance made  with  these  glowing  worlds  seemed  to  bring 
us  nearer  to  the  vast  glittering  panorama  which  filled 
our  minds  with  wonder  at  the  ethereal  splendors  and 
ennobling  works  of  God. 

Most  of  his  leisure  hours  were  spent  in  reading 
French  or  German.  He  spoke  German  well  and  fluent- 
ly, but,  taking  up  French  later  in  life,  he  never  quite 
compassed  its  colloquial  velocity.  At  the  Grand  Hotel 
in  Paris,  gi^^ng  an  elaborate  order  in  French  to  a 
waiter  who  spoke  fair  English  and  to  whom  orders  had 
always  been  given  in  English,  the  astonished  gargon 
did  not  refi'ain  from  saying,  "Monsieur  le  Docteur 
speaks  well  ze  French!"  The  doctor  said  to  me  in  a 
low,  amused  voice,  "  Had  the  fellow  known  how  long 
I  planned  the  sentence  before  reeling  off  the  words 


286  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

with  SO  raucli  volubility,  he  would  have  been  less  sur- 
prised." 

The  doctor's  fondness  for  roses  has  been  mentioned; 
he  always  brought  me  the  fii^st  and  the  last  rose  of  the 
season.  He  had  an  inexpensive  and  easily  managed 
green-house  in  Detroit  perfectly  adapted  for  raising 
flowers;  while  his  conservatory  with  which  he  wrestled 
in  Chicago,  was  both  expensive  and  troublesome.  It 
enabled  him,  however,  to  protect  and  preserve  some  fine 
plants  which  had  been  transported  from  Detroit,  among 
them  one  that  was  endeared  to  us  by  former  fond  asso- 
ciations. A  beautiful  rubber-tree,  also,  grew  to  an 
immense  size.  The  doctor  gave  much  of  his  individual 
attention  to  this  conservatory,  but  it  was  finally  aban- 
doned and  converted  into  something  more  generally 
agreeable  and  available. 

Every  few  years  he  made  additions  and  alterations 
in  his  house  (an  old  one),  which  he  likened  to  an 
"absorbing  sponge."  It  required  some  ingenuity  to 
improve  the  house,  but  he  succeeded  in  making  the 
interior  home-like  and  attractive,  much  more  attractive 
than  the  external  appearance  of  the  dwelling.  He  was 
fond  of  watching  mechanics  engaged  about  their  work 
on  the  premises,  and  would  contemplate  the  laying  of  a 
brick  wall  with  as  much  interest  as  he  would  a  fresco. 
Sometimes  he  would  correct  workmen  when  they  were 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  287 

going  wrong  (wlio  should  haye  known  better  than  he) ; 
a  few  may  have  been  annoyed,  but  the  majority  who 
understood  that  he  watched  to  see  their  skill,  and  not 
to  criticise,  were  pleased. 

Doctor  Gunn  gloried  in  self-respect,  if  I  may  use 
the  term,  but  he  was  not  vain ;  he  never  made  himself 
unnecessarily  conspicuous  in  public  places.  He  face- 
tiously would  say: — "If  you  will  bring  your  celebrities 
to  me,  I  will  look  at  them,  but  don't  expect  me  to  run 
after  them." 

A  friend  once  said  to  him: — "Doctor,  why  is  it  you 
so  seldom  visit  your  patients,  or  attend  your  clinics 
when  on  horse-back?"  adding — "you  never  look  so 
well  as  you  do  in  a  riding-suit."  His  answer  was: — 
"In  the  first  place  it  is  not  the  thing  to  do;  in  the 
second,  spurs  are  inconvenient  in  an  operating-room." 
He  never  went  to  either  of  these  places  wearing 
riding-boots,  unless  it  was  to  give  me  the  use  of  his 
other  horses. 

He  was  fond  of  dinners  and  social  visiting,  but 
abhorred  large  parties,  for  which,  he  said,  "He  had  to 
dress  just  as  he  was  ready  for  becV*  He  combined 
strength  and  tenderness,  and  although  sometimes  im- 
patient, still  had  great  forbearance.  His  home  was  the 
most  attractive  place  to  him,  and  it  was  singular  that 
upon  the  festivities  of  Christmas  Eve  he  entered  with 


288  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

more  intense  enjoyment  than  any  member  of  his 
family.  On  these  occasions,  directly  after  dinner  his 
boyish  effervescence  commenced,  and  if  we  were 
delayed,  he  would  call  up  to  us  cheerily,  "  Come,  bring 
on  your  hears P^ 

His  appreciation  of  a  good  story  was  proverbial,  and 
though  he  would  laugh  heartily  over  what  was  simply 
broad,  he  had  an  utter  contempt  for  any  thing  that  was 
low  or  degrading. 


Mrs.  L ,  a  warm  and  intimate  friend,  in  some 

recollections  of  the  doctor,  says: — 

"I  remember  he  would  express  himself  strongly  on 
some  subjects ;  but  his  honor  and  caution  in  speaking 
of  people  was  a  trait  I  shall  ever  hold  in  the  highest 
esteem.  His  charity  and  gentle  judgment  of  human 
nature,  and  silence  on  many  occasions  when  censure 
seemed  justifiable,  proved  to  be  more  than  prudence, 
and  must  be  construed  into  kindness  and  not  aus- 
terity. 

"He  upon  one  occasion  wrote  a  letter  introducing 
to  a  high  official,  a  lady  of  his  acquaintance.  She  met 
with  a  courteous  reception  fi'om  the  gentleman,  who 
upon  reading  the  letter,  said: — 'O  yes!  I  know  Dr. 
Gunn  well ;  he  is  a  famous  surgeon ;  I  had  the  honor  to 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES,  289 

shoe  his  horses  in  Detroit  when  we  both  lived  there.'' 
Then  followed  an  eulogy  trnlj  genuine.  The  hearty 
enjoyment  of  the  doctor  on  hearing  a  recital  of  the 
interview,  was  gratifying,  and  I  may  here  add,  that 
the  generous  reception  of  the  situation  by  the  official, 
was  only  equalled  by  such  honest  words  of  appreciation 
and  praise  as  would  come  from  one  whole-souled  man 
to  another. 

"Dr.  Gunn  was  a  good  story-teller,  and  enjoyed  his 
own  ho7i  mois  as  much  as  did  his  listeners.  He  was 
very  clever  in  telling  a  story  at  his  wife's  expense 
(though  one  could  see  how  thoroughly  she  satisfied 
him).  On  one  occasion  he  was  about  repeating  an  in- 
cident that  some  Chicago  friends  related  to  them  on  a 
homeward  trip  together  fi*om  Xew  Orleans ;  when  Mrs. 

G said,   'Doctor!    there  are  two  versions  to  that 

story.'      'Yes'   he  replied,    'I  am  going  to  tell  mine.' 
And  continued: — 

"'Directly  in  front  of  our  Chicago  friends  at  the 
other  end  of  the  sleeper,  sat  a  man  and  woman  who  re- 
garded us  with  interest,  the  woman  with  unflagging' 
zeal.  At  length,  turning  to  her  husband,  in  an  audible 
whisper  she  said,  "John,  do  you  see  that  old  fellow  with 
gray  hair?"  "Certainly,  what's  the  matter  of  him?" 
"Nothing,  only  he  has  just  been  getting  married!" 
"Why,  what  makes  you  think  so?"      ^^  Think!  I  knov: 

19 


290  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

it!  that's  the  way  men  always  act  to  their  second  wives." 
Looking  sharply  at  my  wife  he  said,  "Well!  I  wonder 
when  the  old  fellow  was  about  it  why  he  didn't  marry 
a  young  woman P''  Our  friends  were  on  the  borders  of 
lunacy  in  suppressing  the  fact  from  John,  that  the 
"old  fellow"  had  never  but  once  had  such  an  oppor- 
tunity.' With  a  quizzical  glance  the  narrator  then 
turned  towards  his  wife  and  joined  in  the  uproarious 
laughter  that  followed. 

"  I  remember  one  evening  when  some  friends  were 
about  leaving  that  an  allusion  was  made  to  his  wife's 
size.  I  recall  the  irresistible  twinkle  of  his  eye,  and  a 
significant  way  he  had  of  rubbing  the  side  of  his  nose 
when  about  or  after  telling  anything  comical.  '  Small ! ' 
he  repeated,  '  Well,   she  is  all  I  can  manage ;  and  I 

sometimes  feel  like  little  Heber  C when  urged  to 

go  up  to  a  young  colt!  "Heber,"  said  his  brother,  "why 
don't  you  go  up  and  j9a/  the  little  fellow ?  "  " Because  I 
had  rather  not."  "Why!  you  are'nt  afraid  of  a  little — 
bit  —  of  a  coU  like  that,  are  you?"  "Well — yes — I'm 
pretty  'fi^aid.  I  tell  you,  Charlie,  the  littler  they  are, 
the  kickier  they  be!"  To  this  story  the  doctor's  laugh 
added  keener  zest,  and  I  thought  his  hearers  would 
never  get  out  alive.'''' 


CHAPTER  TWEISTTY-FIFTH. 

TN  referring  to  our  tour  abroad — one  of  the  pleas- 
-'■  antest  journeys  in  our  lives,  these  recollections  may 
be  of  small  import  to  others,  but  are  full  of  interest  to 
me.  It  would  be  an  act  of  supererogation  to  attempt 
to  inform  any  one  concerning  such  a  tour,  yet  the 
differences,  or  more  probably  the  similarities,  in  the 
individual  experiences  of  such  a  journey  may  be  appre- 
ciated. For  this  reason  I  have  ventured  to  give  a 
brief  resume  of  some  details  of  the  tour  as  penned  by 
the  doctor  to  his  children. 

In  March,  1881,  two  years  after  Doctor  Gunn's  first 
trip  to  Europe,  we  went  over  in  the  Waesland,  an  old 
Cunarder  that  had  been  spliced  and  strengthened, 
making  it  the  best  of  the  Belgian  steamers  in  the  Eed 

Star  Line.     The  doctor  writes  to  W :  "There  were 

but  ten  passengers  on  board,  the  boat  most  comfortable, 
our  state-room  large,  and  the  table  excellent. 

"  The  first  Friday  out,  our  fore- topmast,  though 
made  of  iron,  was  broken  off  by  the  force  of  the  wind 
and  lost!        ....        We  landed  at  Antwei'p 

291 


292  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

just  two  weeks  after  leaving  New  York,  heavy  head- 
winds and  a  rough  passage  having  prolonged  our 
voyage. 

"  Antwerp  is  interesting,  from  the  Musee  Plantin 
down  to  dogs  or  milk-carts,  or  the  Flemish  peasants  in 
gay  attire  who  nimbly  walk  the  streets  in  wooden 
shoes.  Everywhere  in  this  old  town  are  reminders  of 
Rubens;  here  are  his  best  paintings  as  well  as  some  of 
his  worst.  We  were  attracted  by  one  of  his  pictures 
in  the  beautiful  Church  of  St.  Jacques,  in  which  are 
represented  portraits  of  himself  and  all  the  members 
of  his  own  family."  ..... 

The  next  five  months  found  us  traveling  over  a  part 
of  the  ground  that  had  before  captivated  the  doctor; 
and  in  addition,  through  Italy  and  Austria.  He  writes : 
"  Over  a  garden  of  a  country  we  reached  Bruxelles, 
not  to  see  her  '  Beauty  and  her  Chivalry '  but  to  find 
one  of  the  most  delightful  cities  in  Europe,  a  small 
duplicate  of  Paris."  ..... 

In  the  picturesque  toAATi  of  Heidelberg,  at  the 
pleasant  Hotel  de  1'  Europe,  we  were  lodged.  The 
doctor  again  enjoyed  visiting  the  Schloss  and  showing 
me  the  old  magnificent  ruin  of  fortress  and  palace  com- 
bined. I  recall  the  picture  while  standing  in  one  of 
the  towers  that  looked  down  on  the  red  roofs  of  the 
town,  when  he  referred  to  Longfellow's  description  of 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  293 

the  castle,  and  cannot  refrain  from  giving  a  few  lines 
from  it: — 

"High  and  hoar  on  the  forehead  of  the  Jettenbtihl 
stands  the  Castle  of  Heidelberg.  Behind  it  rise  the 
oak-crested  hills  of  the  Geisberg  and  the  Kaiserstuhl, 
and  in  front,  from  the  broad  terrace  of  masonry,  you 
can  almost  throw  a  stone  upon  the  roofs  of  the  town,  so 
close  do  they  lie  beneath.  Above  this  terrace  rises  the 
broad  front  of  the  chapel  of  Saint  Udalrich.  On  the 
left  stands  the  slender  octagon  tower  of  the  horologe, 
and  on  the  right  a  huge  round  tower,  battered  and 
shattered  by  the  mace  of  war,  shores  up  with  its  broad 
shoulders  the  beautiful  palace  and  garden-terrace  of 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  the  Pfalzgraf  Frederick. 

"  In  the  valley  below  flows  the  rushing  stream  of 
the  Neckar.  Close  from  its  margin,  on  the  opposite 
side,  rises  the  mountain  of  All  Saints,  crowned  with  the 
ruins  of  a  convent,  and  up  the  valley  stretches  the 
mountain-curtain  of  the  Odenwald." 


The  doctor  again  writes: — " From  .  Cologne,  by 
steamer,  we  went  up  the  Rhine;  the  legendary  castles 
and  crags,  the  fortresses,  old  ruins  and  abbeys  enhance 
the  glory  of  the  Rhine.         .  ,  .We  stopped 


294  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

over  at  Remagen,  a  small  town  connected  with  the 
wonderful  legend  of  St.  Apollinaris,  where,  opposite 
St.  Martin's  (now  St.  Apollinaris')  Church,  the  ship 
containing  his  holy  relics  'suddenly  stood  still!'    . 

We  took  a  carriage  to  the  celebrated  spring 
and  saw  the  extensive  bottling  establishment  that  ex- 
ports millions  of  bottles  of  Apollinaris  water  to  the 
United  States  every  year."  .... 

The  doctor  was  not  much  given  to  seeking  after 
palaces,  but  in  this  weakness  he  was  lenient  with  me. 
He  was  interested  in  the  Eoyal  Palace  at  Stuttgart,  and 
in  two  suburban  retreats  belonging  to  the  King  of 
Wurtemburg.  These  villas  were  reached  by  a  delight- 
ful drive  over  the  Eastern  Hills. 

In  his  next  letter  he  says: — "From  Pisa  to  Genoa, 
the  last  half  of  the  distance  skirts  the  sea-coast,  passing 
through  innumerable  tunnels,  ever  and  anon  coming 
out  upon  the  loveliest  sea  views  of  the  Mediterranean. 
Genoa  is  a  peculiar  old  city ;  we  drove  some  distance  to 
the  Campo  Santo,  which  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated. 
The  expression  given  to  marble  in  the  sculptured 
groups  here,  is  indeed  wonderful."        .         .         .         . 

Speaking  of  the  Old  Pinakothek,  in  one  of  his  let- 
ters, he  says: — "There  are  more  pictures  here  than  we 
could  contemplate  properly  in  a  year.  There  are  at 
least  an  hundred  of  Rubens !    Youi'  mother  scolds  about 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  295 

his  paintings,  but  I  usually  find  her  lingering  in  their 
vicinity."  ..... 

In  Munich,  when  going  to  and  fi'om  the  Maximili- 
aneum,  and  when  crossing  and  re-crossing  the  bridge 
at  the  termination  of  the  Maximilians-Sti'asse,  the 
doctor  called  my  attention  to  the  "Iser  rolling  rapid- 
ly," and  if  I  remember  rightly,  there  was  a  school-boy 
declamation  on  the  spot. 

He  further  wi'ites  fi'om  Venice: — "We  left  our 
heaviest  baggage  at  the  Hotel  Des  Quatre  Saisons, 
until  oui'  return  fi*om  Italy,  which  when  we  reached  it 
was  anything  but  '  Sunny.'  Our  first  stopping-place 
was  Verona,  one  of  the  queerest  of  queer  old  towns, 
with  an  amphitheatre  as  interesting  as  the  Coliseum  at 
Home. 

"On  our  arrival  in  Venice  it  was  novel  to  be  met 
at  the  depot  and  from  thence  conducted  in  a  gondola 
through  the  Grand  Canal  (their  boulevard)  to  out* 
hotel,  where  for  the  first  hour  your  mother  never  moved 
from  the  window,  but  watched  the  graceful  and  dextrous 
gondoliers  as  they  shot  the  pointed  prows  of  their 
gondolas  past  each  other  ^vith  scarcely  the  width  of  a 
knife-blade  between.  ..... 

"When  we  reached  Milan  the  exposition  was  in  full 
force,  to  which  we  gave  half  a  day.  Silks  and  velvets 
were  the  great  novelty  to  us, — large,  soft,  yellow  skeins, 


296  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

from  the  fibre  as  it  is  unwound  from  cocoons  to  the 
perfected  fabric  in  every  shade.  The  Cathedral,  near 
the  Hotel  de  Yille,  we  often  visited,  and  drove,  as  every 
one  does,  to  see  Leonardo  da  Yinci's  fresco  of  the 
*  Last  Supper'  on  the  walls  of  an  old  suppressed  con- 
vent, now  used  as  cavaliy  barracks.  The  painting  is 
unattractive  and  defaced.       ..... 

"Como  was  the  end  of  our  rail  journey,  then  by 
steamer  to  Menaggio  over  as  picturesque  a  body  of 
water  as  there  is  perhaps  on  the  globe.  Here  in  de- 
lightful rooms  overlooking  the  lake,  we  saw  the  snow- 
capped mountains  opposite  and  at  their  feet  counted  six 
different  villages.  When  we  arrived  at  Hotel  du  Pare, 
which  is  in  a  suppressed  monastery  at  Lugano,  the 
scene  was  almost  as  beautiful  as  the  last." 

A  detour  was  made  to  Bern,  where  in  the  morning 
we  saw  the  bears  which  the  doctor  had  called  humbugs, 
and  said  that  Old  Grizzly,  the  hermit  of  Union  Park, 
could  take  in  at  a  mouthful.  In  the  evening  we  heard 
the  organ.     There  were  no  strangers  that  day  in  Bern 

to  make  up  a  purse  for  the  organist;  the  T 's  had 

accompanied  us  from   Lucerne.      Mr.  T and  the 

doctor  therefore  carried  out  the  enterprise. 

Who  that  ever  entered  that  dim  Cathedral  in  the 
dusk  of  a  summer  night,  can  forget  the  hour?  Un- 
lighted  —  save    by     a     solitary     lamp    that    cast     its 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  297 

melancholy  rays  over  what  seemed  a  spirit,  evoking 
from  the  organ  a  low  rippling  mnrmnr,  weird  cadences, 
— that  now  and  again  resolved  themselves  into  purest 
melody — then  plunging  into  chaos  and  surging  along 
until  launched  into  that  wonderful  "Storm"  electri- 
fying the  listener  when  reaching  the  climax  of  warring 
elements !  Now  comes  a  partial  lull — then  the  distant, 
reverberating  thunder — the  wind — and  the  rain-fall. 

Sweet,  clear,  and  full  rises  the  vox  humana !  one  un- 
accustomed to  this  stop,  almost  believes  it  to  be  the 
note  of  a  real  human  voice,  penetrating  through  and 
above  the  storm!  Sitting  as  we  were,  in  that  sombre 
old  Cathedral  nearly  alone,  it  was  an  hour  for  inspira- 
tion; such  an  hour  comes  but  once  into  a  life-time. 
Yes!  It  u'GS  worth  crossing  the  ocean  for! 

From  Naples  the  doctor  writes  to  C : — "We 

have  just  received  your  first  letter  dated  almost  a 
month  ago ....  It  was  forwarded  to 

us  at  Venice,  then  to  Bome,  and  finally  reached  us  here. 
We  came  to  Naples  on  the  29th  ult.  and  shall  return  to 
Rome  to-morrow.  Yesterday  was  fixed  upon  for  an 
ascent  of  Vesuvius,  but  a  heavy  rain  prevented,  and  all 
this  morning  the  weather  has  been  unpropitious ;  con- 
sequently we  must  leave  Naples  without  looking  into 
the  crater.     The  old   drone   has   steamed  and   smoked 


298  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

lazily  since  we  came,  much  to  my  disgust,  but  last 
evening  he  deigned  to  light  up  several  times  and  three 
times  shot  up  brilliantly,  but  in  the  course  of  an  hour 
went  to  sleep  again.  I  fear  I  shall  get  no  more  mani- 
festations from  the  old  rascal.  .... 

"On  Monday  we  went  to  Pompeii,  which  is  fasci- 
nating in  its  terrible  calamity.  Tuesday  we  took  a 
long  drive — in  a  carriage  large  enough  for  the  whole 
family — and  wished  many  times  you  were   all  in  it. 

We  have  not  more  than  half 
'done'  the  Museum,  which  has  claimed  a  portion  of 
three  days.  ....  From  our  win- 

dow we  overlook  the  bay — distant  Capri — a  portion  of 
the  city,  and  up  at  his  moody  Volcanic  Majesty.  It  is 
a  grand  and  charming  outlook. 

"A  strange  city  is  Naples,  where  elegance  and 
squalor  not  only  jostle  one  another  but  are  completely 
interwoven  on  all  sides.  The  squalid  indulge  in 
oranges  and  filth  at  the  same  time ;  beggars  pester  you 
at  every  turn  and  parade  their  misfortunes  with  a 
tender  commiseration,  while  another  class  of  pests  seek 
to  render  you  some  unrequired  and  undesired  assist- 
ance, and  then  claim  a  recompense 

But  enough  of  this.     I  will  finish  this  letter  at  Rome." 

"  I  will  not  attempt  even 
an  epitome  of  what  we  have  done  and  seen  in  Rome, 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  299 

the  vast  center  of  magnificent  ruins,  antiquities  and 
art.         .  .  .  .         Yesterday  we  dined  witk 

Randolph  Eogers  and  his  family.  .... 
At  his  studio  saw  his  wonderfully  beautiful  Lost  Pleiad, 
and  Nydia  with  which  you  are  familiar.  Either  of 
these  sculptures  will  immortalize  his  name." 

Later,  to  W :—  .  .  .         .        "We 

were  joined  by  the  T s  in  Rome  and  went  together 

by  carriage  over  the  unrivalled  St.  Gotthard.  It  was  a 
three  days'  journey;  the  second  day  we  arrived  at  the 
'  Bellevue,'  a  large,  clean  hotel  just  outside  the  village 
of  Andermatt,  more  comfortable  than  any  we  have  yet 
encountered  on  the  Continent."  .... 

The  doctor  was  anxious  to  reach  the  Rhone  Glacier 
but  no  diligence  had  yet  been  over  the  Furca  pass. 
He  was  informed  that  by  driving  within  five  miles  of 
the  glacier  the  remaining  distance  could  be  walked! 
The  next  morning  we  were  provided  with  guide,  wine, 
lunch,  etc.,  and  with  our  three  faithful  horses  started 
up  the  mountain.  Reaching  the  summit  we  found  a 
small  station  beyond  which  we  could  not  drive.  Here 
we  halted,  and  consulted  as  to  who  would  go  on.  I 
was  not  ambitious  to  walk  ten  miles  (the  distance  there 

and  back)  over  patches  of  snow,  but  Mrs.  T said 

"  I  am  going  "  and  pluckily  followed  her  husband. 


BOO  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

There  was  not  a  soul  at  the  station;  it  was  closed, 
but  the  driver  had  brought  a  key  that  opened  a  shelter 
for  himself  and  horses.  I  sat  in  the  carriage.  In 
front  from  a  deep  gorge,  towered  peaks  of  Alps ;  above, 
below,  everywhere  were  Alps!  The  stillness  and 
solemnity  was  appalling!  the  spot  was  completely  shut 
in  save  a  path  along  the  mountain  where,  hours  after, 
I  intently  watched  the  coming  of  those  who  had  gone 
that  way.  Waiting  five  or  six  hours  alone,  every  con- 
ceivable catastrophe  had  gone  through  my  mind  that 
might  happen  to  them  or  to  me. 

For  two  hours  I  had  scanned  the  path ;  the  driver 
had  also  been  looking.  His  eye  accustomed  to  moun- 
tain sights  and  distances  discovered  a  speck;  at  first  it 
appeared  stationary;  then  it  seemed  to  move,  gradually 
it  advanced  and  soon  assumed  the  shape  and  propor- 
tions of  a  man.  The  men  were  all  tall!  I  wondered 
which  one  it  could  be  of  the  three.  When  the  driver 
finally  called  out — "It  is  the  Herr  Doctor!  I  know 
him,^^ — I  think  words  never  sounded  sweeter,  than  this 
man's  "  Herr  Doctor.''^ 

Leaving  the  others  to  follow  more  at  their  leisure 
the  doctor  had  hurried  on.  At  the  Glacier  they  found 
a  man  and  a  boy,  who  had  seen  no  one  but  each  other 
for  six  months!  They  were  in  charge  of  a  hotel  but 
had  little  in  the  way  of  a  substantial  repast  to  offer  the 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  301 

pedestrians.  When  tlie  others  arrived,  the  lunch 
(nearly  all  of  which  remained)  was  speedily  dispatched 
and  in  half  an  hour  we  were  on  our  way  down  the 
mountain  at  such  a  pace  that  if  an  accident  should 
happen  an  escape  would  be  miraculous.  We  drove 
fui'iously  through  xlndermatt  just  as  the  lights  began 
to  glimmer  in  the  cottages.  We  were  back, — and  the 
doctor  had  seen  the  Rhone  Glacier! 

He  writes  from  the  Hotel  de  France,  Vienna: — "We 
arrived  in  Vienna  by  way  of  the  Danube,  which  is 
more  tortuous  and  more  turbulent  than  the  Rhine — ■ 
equally  beautiful  with  the  Austrian  Alps  in  the  dis- 
tance and  the  castles,  chateaux  and  convents  on  its 
banks  overlooking  its  blue  waters.  We  find  the 
Austrian  Capital  interesting,  particularly  the  rooms  in 
the  old  Hofburg  once  occupied  by  Maria  Theresa,  and 
furnished  as  she  left  them.  The  crown  jewels  are 
beautiful,  and  numerous,  and  interesting  in  their  asso- 
ciation and  traditions.  There  is  a  glamour  thrown 
round  them,  that  is  enhanced  probably  by  the  romances 

of  that  Imperial  House.       .  .  .      Dr.  H "s 

letter  to  his  relatives,  living  at  Heitzing,  one  of  the 
suburbs,  near  the  Imperial  Chateau  of  Schonbrunn,  has 
given  us  an  opportunity  of  meeting  an  attractive  family. 
One  of  the  daughters  (a  young  girl  of  engaging  man- 


302  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

ners  and  personal  beauty)  accompanied  us  yesterday 
through  the  imperial  gardens  of  Schonbininn. 

We  have  twice  dined  with  Dr.  W ,  a  young 

physician  of  Chicago,  who  is  here  for  an  unlimited 
time.  The  second  dinner  was  served  in  approved  style 
in  a  handsome  room  that  commanded  a  view  of  the 
Schotten-Ring,  a  pleasant  point  in  the  Bing-Strasse. 

"To-day  we  were  interested  in  the  Fete  Dieu!  The 
retinue  in  the  procession  immediately  about  the  emperor 
was  composed  of  magnificent  horses  mounted  by  fine 
specimens  of  men,  both  men  and  horses  richly  capari- 
soned. ..... 

"At  the  E-igi  we  were  snowbound  and  left  with  dis- 
appointment at  getting  no  view.  .... 
Dresden  we  reached  by  the  Elbe.  .  .  .  We 
accomplished  a  long  drive  in  and  about  Prague,  which 
we  found  ancient  and  strange." 

"We  have  been  three  days  in  Berlin.  Our  room  at 
the  Kaiserhof  is  large,  with  a  balcony,  where  we  sit 
and  look  out  on  the  Zietenplatz.  .  .  .  To-day 
we  -have  been  to  Potsdam,  visited  the  Old  Eoyal  Palace 
so  identified  with  the  immortal  Frederick.  While  at 
Sans  Souci  we  were  allowed  to  wander  about  what  was 
once  his  beloved  and  charming  retreat  in  unmolested 
pleasure.     We  shall  go  again  in  a  day  or  two."     . 


CHAPTEE  TWENTY-SIXTH. 

TAUEING  our  stay  in  Berlin,  the  Minister  of  the 
^-^  United  States,  Andrew  D.  White,  one  of  the  most 
accomplished  and  charming  of  men,  invited  Doctor 
Gunn  to  be  present  at  a  -'gentlemen's  dinner  party" 
given  for  the  Eector  and  Professors  of  the  University, 
some  Foreign  Ministers,  and  others  interested  in  educa- 
tional matters.  The  dinner  was  presided  over  by  Mrs. 
White,  with  the  ease  and  grace  for  which  she  was  pro- 
verbial, and  was  further  made  attractive  by  the  conver- 
sation and  humor  of  a  number  of  the  following  schol- 
arly and  distinguished  men: — 

Dr.  Hoffman,  Professor  of  Chemistry,  Eector  of  the 
University;  Professor  Mommsen,  Eoman  Historian; 
Professor  Peters,  Zoologist  and  Director  of  the  Natu- 
ral History  Museum;  Professor  Wickelhaus,  Physics; 
Assistant  Professor  Hewitt,  Cornell  University;  Pro- 
fessor Zupitza,  English  and  Anglo-Saxon  Literatui'e; 
Professor  Weber,  Sanscrit ;  Professor  Helmholtz,  Phys- 
ics;   Baron  Yon    der   Heydt;   Yon   Schlozer,  German 

303 


304  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

Minister  at  Washington;  Curtius,  Professor  of  Greek; 
Scherer,  Professor  of  German  Literature ;  Mr.  Coleman, 
Secretary  of  Legation;  Mr.  Frederick  D.  White;  Mr. 
Heuner,  Private  Secretary  to  the  American  Minister; 
M.  Rangabe,  Greek  Minister,  formerly  Minister  at 
Washington;  Professor  Wattenbach,  History;  Pro- 
fessor Geiger,  Modern  History ;  Dr.  Nachtigall,  African 
Traveller. 


Writing  to  C from  Paris,  the  doctor  says: — 

"For  reasons  that  have  never  been  discovered,  some 
friends,  who  had  been  there,  advised  our  going  to  the 
Hotel  Dominici!  We  arrived  in  the  evening,  went 
there  and  remained  one  night;  the  next  morning  (Sun- 
day), came  here  to  'The  Grand.'  From  our  rooms  we 
look  directly  across  on  the  New  Opera  House,  which 
has  become  very  familiar.  It  has  many  faults;  though 
magnificent  in  some  respects,  it  is  in  others,  disappoint- 
ing. .  .  .  We  have  been  to  Versailles 
and  the  Trianons;  shall  go  again  on  Thursday. 

"Your  mother  has  just  informed  me  that  a  struggle 
is  going  on  in  her  mind  between  the  importance  of 
"Historical  Associations"  and  wearing  apparel!  She 
is  sure  the  "associations"  will  ultimately  get  the  better 
of  the  clothes P^  ..... 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  305 

Later   lie  writes   to   W : — "According  to  my 

programme,  this  was  to  be  the  last  day  in  Paris;  or 
rather  this  was  the  day  to  journey  from  here  to 
London.  But  we  shall  now  remain  nntil  the  fifteenth, 
in  order  to  be  present  at  the  National  fete  which 
celebrates  the  republic — the  Foui'th  of  July  of  the 
French  republicans.  It  occurs  on  the  fourteenth,  and 
for  the  last  week  Paris  has  been  getting  ready  for 
the  event.  It  is  to  be  a  grand  show,  but  I  suppose 
like  all  other  similar  fetes,  there  will  be  no  opportunity 
of  seeing  anything  because  of  the  multitude  of  people. 

"The  time  for  our  sailing  is  drawing  near — only 
about  five  weeks  now.  We  must  begin  to  calculate 
about  letters.  ...  I  want  to  get  out 

of  Paris,  for  youi*  mother,  like  all  women,  has  gone 
mad  over  the  shops  and  wants  me  to  buy  and  bring 
home  the  city!"  ..'... 

The  doctor  writing  fi'om   London   to  W and 

M says: — "It  falls  to  me  this  time  to  write  you 

the  weekly  letter.  Our  Congress  is  now  nearly  over, 
Tuesday  next  being  the  closing  day.  We  have  had  a 
very  successful  meeting  and  have  been  hospitably  re- 
ceived and  entertained.  ....  About 
three  thousand  doctors  and  surgeons  congregated  here 
from  all  parts  of  Europe  and  America.     London   re- 

20 


306  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

ceived  us  witli  open  arms.     Receptions  and  excursions 
have  been  of  daily  occurrence." 

^^July  17 ill. — It  is  a  quarter  to  ten  in  the  evening; 
witli  you  it  is  about  four  o'clock  in  tbe  afternoon. 

Well,  we  are  now  in  the  largest  city  on 
the  globe!  and  I  assure  you  it  is  in  every  way  a  grand 
old  city.  Paris  is  bright,  beautiful  and  gay — London 
is  dingy,  solid  and  reliable.  In  the  way  of  beauty  too, 
London  need  not  be  afi'aid  of  her  brighter  neighbor. 

"The  Parliament  Houses,  St.  Paul's  and  old  West- 
minster Abbey  are  not  excelled  in  Paris,  while  Hyde 
Park  and  Kensington  Gardens  in  some  respects  are 
really  finer  than  the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  But  the  two 
cities  cannot  be  compared,  so  different  are  they.  I  like 
London,  its  vastness  has  a  charm  for  me  that  I  cannot 
describe  but  constantly  feel.         ..... 

"On  the  whole,  we  have  had  a  very  good  time  in 
this  great  city,  but  I  shall  be  glad  to  get  back  to  that 
"model  of  modesty — — Chicago! 

"It  is  my  intention  to  remain  here  until  the  tenth 
of  August,  in  the  meantime  making  a  little  trip  to 
Warwick  and  Stratford-on-Avon.  Then  go  to  Edin- 
burgh and  take  a  short  tour  in  Scotland,  after  which 
we  shall  reach  Liverpool  in  time  to  sail  on  the  eigh- 
teenth. .....        I  hope  we  shall 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  307 

soon  all  be  together  in  the  old  snuggery  on  Calumet 
avenue.  ..... 

"It  is  delightful  to  travel,  but  when  one  leaves  a 
part  of  his  family  behind,  the  pleasantest  part  is,  after 
all,  the  getting  home  again.  I  shall  be  glad  to  come 
to  anchor  on  my  own  ground  by  the  first  of  September, 
hopefully  sooner.  Don't  expect  anybody  but  your 
mother  and  me — for  I  could  never  manage  a  dog! " 

We  had  been  some  time  in  London,  which  seemed 
to  have  neither  beginning  nor  end,  when  the  Interna- 
tional Medical  Congress  assembled.  The  transactions 
that  came  to  my  knowledge  were  conversaziones  at 
South  Kensington  Museum,  Guildhall,  and  some  gar- 
den parties.  Sir  James  Paget  gave  breakfasts  every 
day  during  the  sessions  to  which  he  invited  many  of 
the  foreign  members.  Doctor  Gunn  had  the  pleasure 
one  morning  of  sitting  at  the  right  or  left  of  Lady 
Paget,  enjoying  her  conversation  and  a  superior  cup  of 
mocha  at  her  hands. 

The  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts  was  "At  Home"  to 
the  Congress; — A  "Garden  Party"  at  Holly  Lodge, 
West  Hill,  Highgate.  For  this  occasion  the  doctor 
engaged  what  in  the  rather  inelegant  parlance  of 
to-day  would  be  termed  a  very  "swell"  tui-nout!  Un- 
fortunately we  hardly  saw — and  certainly  did  not  enjoy 


308  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

the  extent  of  our  magnificence,  for  just  before  starting 
the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents  and  all  our  attention 
was  given  to  getting  ourselves  in  and  out  of  the 
brougham  at  both  ends  of  the  journey.  In  this  deluge 
we  drove  four  miles  to  Holly  Lodge!  On  arriving, 
one  or  more  functionaries,  in  liveries  of  blue  velvet  and 
gold,  met  and  conducted  us  through  an  arbor  of  vines 
outside  for  a  moment  under  umbrellas,  up  steps  leading 
to  a  veranda,  and  from  thence  to  rooms  where  the 
''garden  party"  had  assembled. 

We  were  announced  and  received  gracefully  by  the 
amiable  baroness  and  her  handsome  young  husband. 
The  rooms  were  filled,  but  not  crowded,  excepting  one, 
where  a  sea  of  heads  was  visible,  whose  mouths  were 
giving  their  undivided  attention  to  choice  game.  Veuve 
Cliquot  and  Johannisberger. 

The  lodge  and  its  appointments  were  perfect.  After 
a  time  we  stationed  ourselves  at  one  of  the  windows, 
and  through  the  mist  and  rain  discerned  rather  imper- 
fectly the  magnificent  extent  of  lawn  and  fine  old  trees, 
and  speculated  upon  the  beauty  of  Holly  Lodge  on  a 

clear  day.     We  were  shortly  joined  by  Dr.  M and 

his  daughter;  after  condoling  with  each  other  on  the 
unpropitious  state  of  the  weather,  we  proceeded  to  the 
now  partly  deserted  dining-room  and  found  seats  where 
our  predecessors  had  stood,  and  soon,  like  them,  were 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  309 

giving  our  "undivided  attention"  to  paU  de  foie  gras, 

and other  delicacies ! 

We  preserved  a  vivid  remembrance  of  that  rain, 
the  garden  party — the  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts — and 
her  handsome  "Young  Husband!" 


CHAPTER  TWEl^TY-SEYENTH. 

TTTE  almost  flew  on  one  of  the  fast  trains  from  dingy 
^  '  London  to  beautiful  Edinburgh.  Thirty  years 
before,  the  doctor  had  ordered  from  Edinburgh  a  hand- 
some Highland  dress.  He  now  hoped  to  get  a  piece 
of  the  Gunn  plaid,  but  was  obliged  to  have  it  ordered 
from  a  manufacturer  and  sent  over. 

The  motion  of  the  Britannic  was  so  apparent  with- 
out a  sea,  that  we  longed  for  the  Waesland  many  times 
before  reaching  New  York.  The  custom  of  making 
more  elaborate  preparations  for  the  last  dinner  of  the 
voyage  obtained  as  usual.  We  were  a  few  hundred 
miles  out  of  New  York,  the  passengers  in  a  happy 
frame  of  mind,  the  tables  set,  and  the  dinner  in  pro- 
gress, when  suddenly  we  struck  a  ground- swell,  or  it 
struck  us,  when  with  a  crash,  the  glass  and  china  were 
precipitated  to  the  cabin  floor!  The  after-effects  of  a 
storm  at  St.  Thomas  (wherever  that  may  be)  had 
reached  us.  The  tables  were  re-set,  this  time  with 
racks;  the  rolling  of  the  steamer  was  now  stupendous! 

310 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  311 

and  all  were  becoming  anxious  to  get  wedged  into  their 
chairs  for  greater  security.  The  wonder  was,  how  we 
got  through  that  dinner!  but  in  spite  of  the  colossal 
rocking  it  was  the  merriest  meal  we  had  on  board. 

In  the  morning  the  ocean  was  apparently  smooth, 
but  the  deceptive  undulating  waves  told  a  different 
story,  and  if  possible,  the  motion  was  worse  than  the 
night  before.  Gradually  we  got  out  of  the  swell, 
reached  Sandy  Hook  after  lunch,  got  aground  in  the 
lower  bay,  and  reached  New  York  late  in  the  afternoon. 

The  first  of  September  saw  the  doctor  again  ready 
for  work ;  he  always  said  he  expected  to  die  in  the  har- 
ness. He  was  extremely  fond  of  travel  and  deplored 
the  necessity  that  kept  him  so  constantly  employed. 
Later  he  was  anxious  to  view  the  midnight  sun  and 
anticipated  this  pleasure  in  1888,  but  ihai  journey 
was  denied  him. 


I  had  just  finished  this  sketch  when  a  little  diary 
the  doctor  had  kept  of  this    tour  was  discovered    by 

M and  put  into   my  hand.     How  strange  that  I 

had  never  seen  it  and  that  it  had  been  overlooked  so 
long!  I  chanced  to  open  at  an  entry  made  in  London 
on  Tuesday,  July  26th,  1881.  The  mingling  sensations 
produced  upon  reading  this  memorandum  I  cannot  well 


312  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

describe.  The  doctor  had  never  seemed  averse  to  ac- 
companying me  on  any  of  the  many  shopping  expedi- 
tions in  the  different  cities,  beginning  as  far  back  as 
Brussels.  Looking  through  the  leaves  I  was  surprised 
to  see  how  much  time  he  had  devoted  to  me  in  shop- 
ping!  According  to  his  amusing  minutes  the  random 
statement  that  "Historical  Associations"  would  ever 
get  the  supremacy  over  "(7to//ies,"  was  undoubtedly 
one  of  my  delusions.  We  had  been  in  Paris  only  five 
days  (corresponding  to  his  diary),  before  the  shopping 
mania  began. 

^'•Tuesday,  July  5ih. — Napoleon's  Tomb  in  the 
morning  —  Siege  of shopping   in  the  afternoon ! 

"  Wednesday,  July  6th. — Shopped  Avith  my  wife  in 
the  morning — Lost  umbrella  in  the  afternoon. 

"  Thursday,  7th.  —  No  shopping  —  Grand  day  — 
Second  visit  to  Versailles  and  Trianons — Seeing  fount- 
ains play. 

' '  Friday,  8th.  —  Morning  —  Louvre ;  Afternoon — 
Bois  de  Boulogne  and  Jardin  d'  Acclimatation. 

^'Saturday,  9th.  —  Hotel  de  Cluny  —  Shopped  at 
Grands  Magazins  du  Louvre — lunched  at  Palais  Boyal. 

^^ Sunday,    10th. — A  day  of   rest — from  Shopping! 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  313 

American     Church    in    the     morning;     Boulevards — 
Bastille  and  Notre  Dame  in  the  afternoon. 

"  Tuesday,    12fh.  —  Sliopped!    with    Mrs.    G . 

Went  to  Opera  in  the  evening. 

"  Wednesday,  13ih. — Hot!  hid  not  too  hoi  io  SliopH 
''Thursday,    14fh. — Last   day   in  Paris — hot!    but 
Shopped!! — Dined  with  Dr.  K .  Went  to  Hippo- 
drome." 

From  his  memoranda  after  arri^dno:  in  London 
there  were  several  days  of  interrupted  sight-seeing. 
Then  appears  the  following: — 

•'  Tuesday,  July  19th.  —  Shopped !  —  Tower  — 
Shopped!! 

' '  Wednesday,  20th .  — Sh  opped ! ! ! — Horrors ! ! 

"  Thursday,  21st. — Westminster  Abbey — St.  Bar- 
tholomew's ;  Registered  as  member  of  Medical  Congress 
—Then  Shopped!! 

''Friday,  22nd. — Parliament  Houses — Eoyal  Aqua- 
rium, Westminster. — Shopped  on  the  way  home  ! 

"Saturday,  23rd. — Zoological  Gardens — had  some 
trouble    in    getting    Mrs.    G away   fi'om   Jumbo! 

"Monday,  2oth.— Shopped!— T\iq  Mall— St.  James 
Park — and  Piccadilly — Dore  Gallery — Alhambra  in 
the  evening. 


314  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"  Tuesday,  26th. — Shopped!!  to  get  diamonds  reset 
and  cards  engraved;  Horrors!! — I  could  fit  out  an  ex- 
pedition to  the  Antipodes  with  less  fuss  than  my  dear 
wife  uses  in  getting  a  card  engraved." 


I  never  realized  how  uncongenial  this  all  must  have 
been  to  him.  Sometimes  I  had  gone  alone,  but  gen- 
erally he  had  accompanied  me,  never  saying  he  would 
prefer  something  else  and  never  making  me  uncomfort- 
able. The  only  means  I  had  ever  had  of  knowing  what 
a  bore  my  shopping  had  been  to  him,  was  this  humor- 
ous escape-valve  in  his  little  diary. 


CHAPTEE  TW:e:^TY-EIGHTH. 

T^OCTOE  GUNX  had  the  liyeliest  interest  in^his  clin- 
^  ics  but  always  came  home  from  them  tired.  When 
he  had  no  very  ill  patient,  nor  important  nor  dangerous 
operation  in  view,  he  was  cheerful  and  ready  to  extract 
enjoyment  from  his  surroundings.  Unpleasant  subjects 
of  any  nature  he  banished  as  quickly  as  possible  from 
his  mind,  never  allowing  these  vexations,  nor  profes- 
sional annoyances  to  be  shared  by  those  about  him. 

There  were  necessarily  many  occasions  when  he 
was  preoccupied,  then,  if  interrogated,  he  would  say. 
"Wait  a  little;  don't  talk  to  me  just  now,  I  am 
thinking.'' 

I  remember  so  well  one  eveninof  his  troubled  look: 
he  paced  the  floor,  and  then  exclaimed,  "What  are  a 
lawyer's  anxieties  to  ours  ?  They  fight  for  money,  for 
honor  or  for  dishonor,  as  the  case  may  be.  and  some 
one  wins!  We  fight  disease,  but  no  one  wins  when 
the  battle  is  against  the  decrees  of  the  Almighty." 

I  remember  his  remarking  in  a  social  way  to  a  phy- 
sician, "I  never  can,  though  I  often  wish  I  could,  divest 

315 


316  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

myself  of  anxiety  and  responsibility  in  dangerous,  or 
more  especially  in  troublesome  cases ;  they  keep  me  in 
a  painful  state  of  concern."  The  other  replied — "  You 
should  not  let  them,  I  never  do."     After  we  left,  the 

doctor  said,  "Yes,  X looks  young,  he  is  without  a 

wrinkle;  no  doubt  trouble  of  that  kind  makes  as  little 
impression  upon  him  as  water  would  on  a  duck's  back!" 


It  would  be  inexpedient,  nor  could  I  speak  of  Doctor 
Gunn  in  a  professional  way,  except  in  quotations  from 
others.  Some  one  writing  of  him  said: — "He  was  'a 
giant '  in  the  profession,  known  far  and  wide, 

celebrated  as  much  for  his  clean  and  honor- 
able conduct  toward  those  in  his  profession  as  for  the 
rapidity  with  which  he  diagnosed  all  cases  brought 
before  him.  His  profound,  rapid  judgment  was  con- 
sidered something  wonderful ;  all  who  knew  him  remem- 
ber him  first  for  that." 

A  colleague  says  of  him: — "By  looking  at  a  patient 
he  could  almost  instantly  advise  the  best  course  to  be 
taken  in  the  treatment.  He  was  the  best  man  to  con- 
sult with  I  ever  met.  When  I  was  in  doubt  which  one 
of  several  plans  was  preferable,  I  would  ask  Dr.  Gunn 
what  he  thought  of  it,  and  quick  as  a  flash  he  would 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  317 

almost  invariably  answer.  I  cannot  account  for  a  man's 
intellect  being  so  clear  and  quick  in  its  perceptions. 
But  perhaps  that  for  which  he  will  be  longest  remem- 
bered locally,  was  his  high  regard  for  the  profession, 
and  for  each  member's  duty  to  the  other.  He  was 
never  known  to  give  an  adverse  criticism  on  any  physi- 
cian, to  the  patient.  If  he  had  anything  to  say  he  said 
it  afterwards  to  the  man  himself." 

"Dr.  Gunn's  practice  of  nothing  but  surgery  for 
twenty  years  in  Chicago,  made  him  a  recognized 
authority.  The  graduates  of  Eush  Medical  College 
can  testify  to  his  superiority  as  an  instructor.  His  de- 
light was  to  have  a  class  crowd  round  the  table  and 
hang  over  his  shoulders  when  he  was  at  work 

His  discourse  was  as  full  of  jokes  as  it  was 
of  information;  he  always  had  some  incident  to  relate, 
whereby  a  knotty  Latin  term  or  a  particular  point  could 

be  made  to  hang  in  a  student's  mind 

His  profoundest  thoughts  were  entwined  with  some- 
thing original  and  entertaining  as  naturally  as  was 
the  mingling  of  gray  in  his  beard.  The  stories  he  em- 
ployed to  illustrate  and  assist  in  his  demonstrations, 
will  be  quoted  by  the  instructors  at  the  college  for 
years  to  come."  ..... 


318  MEMOKIAL   SKETCHES. 

Dr.  J.  B.  Herrick,  who  was  graduated  in  1887, 
gives  his  impressions  of  Doctor  Gunn  from  a  student's 
standpoint :  — 

"A  few  words  concerning  Professor  Gnnn  as  he  ap- 
peared to  the  students  of  Rush  Medical  College,  may 
not  be  amiss.  We  all  thought  him  a  noble  specimen 
of  physical  manhood.  His  tall,  erect,  well-rounded 
and  well-knit  frame,  his  white  curling  locks,  his  keen, 
blue  eye — all  made  him  a  conspicuous  figure.  And 
when  added  to  this,  we  noted  his  firm,  quick  step,  his 
energy  in  action  showing  the  Highland  blood  that 
coursed  through  his  veins,  his  scrupulous  nicety  in  ap- 
pearance and  dress,  even  to  the  minutest  details,  we 
could  readily  understand  why  he  was  the  prominent 
personage,  whether  in  the  drawing-room,  in  the  arena 
at  his  clinic,  or  in  the  sick-room ;  and  why  it  was  that 
he  was  looked  upon  as  the  master — as  the  one  who 
commanded,  by  all  with  whom  he  was  associated. 

"Many  of  us,  at  first,  misjudged  the  man  and  the 
surgeon  as  we  saw  him  at  his  Tuesday  and  Saturday 
clinics.  We  sometimes  thought  him  harsh  and  over- 
bearing, but  we  gradually  learned  that  he  was  born  to 
have  authority,  and  that  underneath  the  apparently 
arbitrary  word  or  action  was  a  warm  and  honest  heart. 
He  had  no  nonsense   in  himself,  he  did  not  like  it  in 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  319 

otliers;  and  his  words  of  reproof,  like  his  scalpel,  often 
caused  pain  by  the  wound  so  freely  made ;  but  they 
were  sure  to  do  good  and  in  many  cases  to  work  a  cure. 

"Viewing  him  as  a  surgeon,  we  could  not  compre- 
hend the  cei^tainty  of  his  rapid  diagnosis  and  his  equally 
certain  and  rapid  operation.  At  times  we  accused  him 
of  carelessness  in  the  one  case,  and  'cutting  and  slash- 
ing' in  the  other.  But  our  censure  soon  changed  to 
wonder  and  admiration.  His  keen,  disciplined  eye  de- 
tected at  a  glance  the  irregularity,  change  of  contour, 
loss  of  function  in  the  part — things  which  we  could  but 
faintly  perceive  after  careful  study.  And  we  saw  that 
where  other  surgeons  toiled  with  laborsome  and  pains- 
taking carefulness,  feeling  every  step  of  their  way, 
he,  trusting  to  his  very  accurate  knowledge  of  anatomy 
and  wide  experience,  worked  with  a  boldness  and  rapid- 
ity that  were  marvelous. 

"He  always  took  the  'short  cut'  in  his  surgical 
operations,  for  with  him  it  was  the  safest.  We  have 
seen  him  make  the  complete  operation  for  hare-lip  in 
five  minutes.  The  manner  in  which  he  extirpated  ton- 
sils, cut  for  stone,  opened  abscesses,  etc.,  was  a  never- 
failing  source  of  enjoyment  to  his  student  audience. 
Before  one  fairly  realized  that  he  was  ready  to  begin, 
he  seemed  to  be  through;  and  yet  he  was  not  tempted 
to  undertake  an  operation  which  would,  perhaps,  bring 


320  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

renown  for  its  brilliancy,  while  it  could  not  benefit  the 
patient.  Often  as  we  saw  the  large  tumor  enter  the 
clinic,  our  younger  pulses  beat  a  little  more  rapidly  and 
the  blood  tingled  in  our  veins  with  expectancy.  But 
we  were  frequently  disappointed  in  our  hopes  of  seeing 
a  brilliant  operation,  for  he  was  always  honest  with  his 
patients,  and  never  held  out  to  them  false  hopes  for 
the  sake  of  temporary  applause. 

"Much  more  might  be  said  of  him  did  space  permit. 
He  was  a  clear,  enthusiastic,  and  practical  lecturer ;  he 
had  always  on  hand  a  fund  of  humor  and  good-fellow- 
ship; he  was  kind  and  indulgent  in  speaking  of  the 
mistakes  of  other  physicians.  The  students  always 
liked  him  for  his  promptness  and  punctuality.  At  the 
exact  minute  for  clinic  or  lecture,  he  entered  the  arena. 
Many  a  time  have  I  seen  him  stand  with  watch  in  hand, 
impatiently  waiting  for  the  moment  to  come  when  he 
could  enter  the  amphitheatre  and  be  at  work.  '  I  would 
make  a  poor  waiter,^  he  once  remarked. 

"  We  scarcely  recognized  his  greatness  when  he  was 
among  us.  Yet  now  that  he  is  gone,  the  loss  we  have 
sustained  comes  to  us  with  its  painful  reality,  and  we 
realize  as  we  never  did  before,  that  our  friend  and 
teacher  was  a  prince  among  surgeons, — in  very  truth  a 
great  and  noble  man." 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  321 

Pkofessor  Nokman  Bridge  writes:  —  "My  first 
knowledge  of  Doctor  Gunn  was  in  1866-67  when 
I  attended  his  last  course  of  lectures  at  Ann  Arbor. 
Probably  his  impression  upon  me  was  similar  to  that 
of  every  other  young  man  who  has  entered  his  class  as 
a  pupil.  He  seemed  the  embodiment  of  the  brilliant 
surgeon;  his  presence,  his  way  of  lecturing,  his 
methods  of  reasoning  on  any  subject  under  consider- 
ation, but  especially  his  promptness,  and  accuracy  o£ 
diagnosis,  his  rapid  and  strikingly  effective  way  of 
operating,  all  tended  to  impress  one  with  his  mastery. 

"Before  and  since,  I  have  seen  other  surgeons 
surprised,  baffled,  and  foiled  at  some  step  of  an  opera- 
tion, but  I  never  saw  anything  in  him  approaching 
such  a  condition  but  once,  and  this  was  due  to  the 
breaking  of  an  instrument.  This  was  at  Ann  Arbor; 
when  operating  at  one  of  his  clinics,  for  stone  in  the 
bladder,  his  sound  broke  square  off  leaving  part  of  the 
instrument  in  the  bladder.  An  assistant  was  holding 
the  sound  when  the  accident  occurred,  and  excitedly 
whispered  something  to  Doctor  Gunn,  when  the  latter 
took  hold  of  the  instrument,  to  assure  himself  of  the 
state  of  things,  promptly  withdrew  the  part  he  held, 
threw  it  upon  the  floor  vigorously,  and  withdrew  into 
the  ante-room  for  another  sound  with  which  he  fin- 
ished the  operation.       It    never   seemed  possible  for 

21 


322  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

him  to  make  an  error  in  diagnosis,  or  a  mistake  in  an 
operation. 

"After  coming  to  Chicago  and  especially  after  know- 
ing him  thoroughly  in  Rush  College,  the  same  effect  of 
his  personality  was  often  noticed  upon  students  and 
younger  members  of  the  profession.  He  was  person- 
ally admired  by  a  large  number  of  young  men;  many 
of  them,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  emulated  his  prompt 
and  effective  professional  ways,  to  their  great  benefit  as 
surgeons. 

"  Every  young  man  of  ambition  is  some  time  or  other 
struck  by  the  ways  and  character  of  some  man  whom 
he  comes  to  admire,  either  instantly  or  gradually.  That 
man  becomes  his  ideal  or  model  for  emulation,  and  he 
can  no  more  avoid  in  some  way  and  to  some  degree 
imitating  that  model  as  it  appears  to  him,  than  he  can 
help  thinking;  and  this  influence  not  infrequently 
gives  a  bent  and  direction  to  his  own  growth  and  char- 
acter, that  ends  only  with  his  death.  So  every  man  of 
power,  and  peculiar  worth  who  comes  in  contact  with 
the  thoughtful  part  of  the  rising  generation,  is,  in  his 
ways  of  thinking,  and  doing,  and  feeling,  in  this  man- 
ner, continually  transmitted  to  others,  as  a  stream  that 
only  ends  with  his  life,  often  not  till  long  after  his 
death. 

"Doctor  Gunn  was  marked  in  such  influence;  the 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  .  323 

quality  that  lie  transmitted  was  imcleniably  most  whole- 
some and  most  valuable.  But  notwithstandinof  that 
most  young  men  with  whom  he  came  in  contact  ad- 
mired him  greatly,  there  were  others  who  stood  some- 
what in  awe  of  his  stateliness  o£  bearing,  which  had 
perhaps  a  suggestion  of  austerity  that  tended  to  keep 
them  from  familiarity.  And  if  not  his  bearing,  his 
prompt,  sharp  way  of  dealing  with  mistakes  and  short- 
comings of  students  who  failed  to  do  the  best  they 
could,  engendered  in  this  class  something  like  fear. 

"He  was  so  prompt  and  positive  about  things,  and 
often  so  radical  that  he  was  frequently  not  credited 
with  the  warmth  of  personal  nature  he  actually  pos- 
sessed. He  held  positive  views  about  most  subjects 
that  had  engaged  his  thoughts,  and  was  not  accustomed 
to  shade  the  expression  of  them  to  suit  or  comfort  any 
one;  as  a  result,  his  words  often  stinick  hard  and  were 
always  remembered,  sometimes  with  feelings  not  alto- 
gether comfortable,  but  generally  with  admii'ation  for 
the  direct  way  they  were  spoken. 

"In  the  work  of  medical  teaching  and  in  the  work  of 
a  medical  college,  Doctor  Gunn  was,  as  in  his  private 
affairs,  singularly  honest  and  upright.  He  had  positive 
ideas  of  what  should  be  taught,  and  how  a  college 
should  be  conducted,  and  his  conceptions  were  of  a  high 
order.     It   made  no   difference,   that  the    measure    he 


324  .  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

advanced  would  injure  the  financial  prospects  of  the 
college,  and  probably  therewith,  his  own;  if  the  object 
was  demanded  by  the  final  best  interests  of  the  public 
and  the  profession,  as  he  understood  them,  he  was  in 
favor  of,  and  gave  it  his  constant  and  consistent 
support. 

"He  hated  imposture,  and  was  always  irritated  when 
he  thought  the  college  might,  by  any  act  or  event,  be 
placed  in  the  position  of  appearing  to  pretend  to  do 
something  it  did  not  do.  He  would  never  take  advan- 
tage of  a  technicality  in  any  business,  professional  or 
secular;  a  moral  obligation  was  always  superior  to  a 
written  one,  because  he  seemed  to  feel  that  it  was  more 
likely  to  be  neglected  and  its  violation  was  more 
despicable,  from  the  ease  with  which  it  could  be 
accomplished. 

"  His  habit  of  punctuality  was  carried  to  the  ut- 
most. I  never  knew  a  man  who  had  this  trait  of 
character  in  so  high  a  degree ;  he  would  not  be  a  minute 
late  at  any  personal  appointment;  especially  was  he 
prompt  at  his  public  professional  engagements.  Not 
only  was  he  at  the  college  in  time  for  his  lecture,  but 
he,  unlike  any  other  medical  teacher  I  have  ever  known, 
was  usually  standing  just  outside  the  lecture-room 
door,  waiting  for  the  stroke  of  the  bell  that  announced 
him,  when  immediately,  he  was  at  his  post  to  begin  his 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  325 

lecture.  He  Tvas  quite  as  prompt  in  closing  his  lectui'e 
at  the  expiration  of  his  hour.  I  hare  seen  him,  more 
than  once,  stop  speaking  in  the  middle  of  a  word,  and 
many  times  in  the  middle  of  sentence,  when  the  gong 
proclaimed  that  his  time  was  out.  Xo  brother  teacher 
ever  had  occasion  to  accuse  him  of  robbinof  the  man 
who  followed  him  on  the  programme,  of  any  lectui*e 
time. 

"In  his  professional  life  he  illustrated  a  quality,  the 
great  worth  of  which  is  emphasized  by  its  occasional 
absence  on  the  part  of  surgeons  and  doctors — I  mean 
the  quality  of  seriousness.  The  business  of  sui'gery 
was  with  him  always  a  grave  one;  it  never  descended 
to  triviality.  In  his  surgical  operations  there  was 
always  the  air  of  sober  business ;  there  was  no  random 
talk  or  joking  on  the  part  of  the  surgeon  and  his  assist- 
ants— a  thing  unfortunately  too  prevalent  in  this  day 
of  deliberate  surgery  and  great  fi'eedom  in  the  use  of 
anaesthetics.  As  a  result  his  operations  were  not  only 
perfect  in  their  accomplishment,  but  completed  in  the 
shortest  possible  time  consistent  with  thoroughness,  to 
the  great  comfort  and  safety  of  his  patient. 


CHAPTEE  TWENTY-I^I]v[TH. 

PEOFESSOK  ETHERIDGE,  whose  visits  to  my 
husband  I  so  well  remember,  when  the  echo  of 
their  voices  and  sometimes  their  cheerful  laughter  would 
reach  me,  says: — 

"During  the  many  years  that  I  have  been  Secretary 
of  Rush  Medical  College,  I  have  now  and  then  re- 
ceived letters  that  came  under  no  written  or  known 
rules  of  management.  My  own  judgment  I  so  far 
doubted  that  I  would  visit  Doctor  Gunn,  to  ask  how  to 
reply  to  such  communications.  The  one  thing  I  was 
infinitely  impressed  with,  was  his  quick,  and  always 
extremely  judicious  reply.  Sometimes  I  doubted  his 
judgment  in  these  answers,  but  my  return  letters  con- 
tained the  replies  he  suggested,  and  ultimately  I  found 
that  he  was  right. 

"  In  matters  of  college  policy  he  was  decided  and 
conservative.  The  more  important  the  matter,  the 
quieter  he  would  remain  in  a  faculty  meeting  while  it 
was  under  consideration;  but  when  he  spoke,  he  was 
careful,  deliberate,  and  forceful,  always  impressing  me 

326 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  327 

with  his  graceful  thought,  great  wisdom,  and  strong 
convictions. 

"If  I  ever  wanted  any  new  thing  adopted  in  college 
matters,  I  felt  morally  sure  of  success  if  I  could  con- 
vince him  of  its  wisdom,  and  secure  his  cooperation. 
Whenever  he  seconded  an  enterprise,  or  a  new  idea,  it 
at  once  received  an  indorsement  and  impetus  that 
ensured  its  success.  On  the  contrary,  if  I  encountered 
his  decided  opposition,  I  was  generally  willing  to  carry 
the  new  idea  out  and  bury  it.  His  voice  Avas  always  in 
favor  of  the  best  and  highest  ideas  in  matters  of  medi- 
cal education.  He  favored  any  scheme  that  would  give 
to  medical  students  greater  facilities  for  acquiring 
technical  knowledge. 

"A  great  impression  was  made  on  my  mind  by  a 
remark  he  made  to  the  graduating  class  of  1869.  You 
know  he  was  so  often  epigrammatic  in  what  he  said. 
One  day  a  student  sent  down  a  written  question  to  him : 
'  What  is  a  doctor's  best  road  to  success  ?'  He  at  once 
replied  with  great  earnestness  and  solemnity  : — '  Young 
man,  your  best  road  to  success  is  to  deserve  to  succeed P 
The  quietude  that  could  be  felt  which  followed  this 
wise  utterance,  indicated  that  that  class  of  students  felt 
the  truth  contained  in  those  words. 

"With  him  to  make  up  his  mind  was  to  act.  He, 
often  in  doubt  as  to  others'  intentions,  was  a  long  time 


328  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

in  concluding,  but  when  he  did  conclude,  it  decided  his 
line  of  action.  On  the  contrary,  when  his  mind  was 
quickly  convinced  of  hostility,  he  was  so  prompt  to  act 
that  he  often  made  matters  brief. 

"It  was  seldom  that  any  one  caught  a  glimpse  of 
his  inmost  heart.  One  day  he  uttered  a  remark  show- 
ing his  great  love  for  boys.  He  always  loved  boys  and 
was  full  of  kindly  charity  for  their  thousand-and-one 
foibles  and  foolishnesses.  He  seemed  to  have  an 
abiding  faith  in  the  outcome  of  a  well-brought-up  boy 
who  might,  at  the  time,  be  going  very  badly.  As  he 
and  I  were  di'iving  along  one  day,  we  saw  a  policeman 
leading  along  under  arrest  a  boy  of  perhaps  sixteen 
years  of  age.  He  threw  up  his  head  and  in  an  unutter- 
ably sad  tone  remarked:  'Such  a  sight  makes  me  heart- 
sick.' Those  few  words  revealed  a  soft  spot  in  his 
great  heart,  unknown  to  the  majority  of  men."    • 

Peofessoe  Paekes  refers  in  a  few  words  to  Doctor 
Gunn's  philosophy  of  manipulation  in  the  reduction  of 
hip  and  shoulder  dislocations: — "The  profession  at 
large  have  always  been  very  greatly  interested  in  the 
treatment  of  dislocations  of  the  larger  joints.  Profes- 
sor Gunn  worked  out  with  careful  minuteness  and  to  a 
successful  termination  the  physical  obstacles  preventing 
easy  return  of  joint-surfaces  after  their  displacement, 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  329 

and  the  best  procedures  of  manipulation  to  be  adopted 
in  securing  the  reduction. 

"He  spent  man j  years  in  the  careful  dissection  and 
preparation  of  joints,  illustrating  many  varieties  of 
dislocations,  and  absolutely  demonstrating  the  hind- 
rances presented  to  easy  reduction  and  the  best  means 
of  overcoming  them.  His  extensive  and  abundant 
experience  also  furnished  him  with  manifold  instances 
of  proving  on  the  living  body  the  truths  elicited  from 
his  researches  and  demonstrations.  Especially  is  this 
true  with  reference  to  dislocations  of  the  hip-joint. 
He  has  proven  beyond  a  doubt  that  he  was  ihefirsf,  or 
among  the  first  to  teach  the  profession  that  it  is  much 
easier,  as  well  as  safer,  to  reduce  dislocations  of  this 
joint  by  position  and  manipulation,  than  by  means  of 
the  old  plan  with  blocks  and  pulleys,  and  main  strength. 
This  was  very  ably  and  certainly  set  forth  in  a  paper 
read  by  Doctor  Gunn  before  the  American  Surgical 
Association  at  "Washington  in  1884. 

"One  of  the  main  principles  advocated  by  him  and 
expressed  with  great  terseness,  was  that  of  placing  the 
dislocated  member  in  exactly  the  same  position  which 
it  had  at  the  time  the  head  of  the  bone  was  forced 
through  the  capsular  ligament.  When  in  this  position, 
with  tissues  all  relaxed  by  anaesthesia,  the  bone  could 
easily  be  caused  to   retain  its   cover   and,  too,  without 


330  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

the  application  of  great  force.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  no 
surgeon  ever  had  greater  success  in  the  treatment  of 
these  injuries,  when  based  upon  the  truths  advocated 
by  him  and  applicable  to  them.  Not  only  was  this 
true  particularly  in  the  treatment  of  recent  dislocations, 
but  also  after  the  abnormal  adhesions  present  in  them 
were  thoroughly  and  completely  broken  up. 

"Doctor  Gunn  never  assumed  to  be  able  to  master 
all  the  difficulties  belonging  to  the  cases  presented  with 
so  much  diversity  for  consideration  at  his  college  clin- 
ics, but  always  freely  admitted  his  liability  to  err,  not 
infrequently  expressing  to  the  student  in  a  somewhat 
quaint  and  forcible  manner:  'If  your  fore  sight  was  as 
good  as  your  hind  sight  you  would  not  make  so  many 
mistakes  by  a sight.'" 


CHAPTER  THIRTIETH. 

T^OCTOR  GUNN  never  seemed  in  better  health  than 
^  in  February,  1887,  when  he  visited  California. 
San   Francisco   and  many  other  places  were  enjoyed, 

but  none  more  than  Santa  Barbara.     The  W s  fi'om 

St.  Louis  had  been  for  months  at  "The  Arlington"  (a 
pleasant  hotel  where  we  found  some  Chicago  friends). 

Mr.  W pressed   upon   the  doctor  the  use  of  his 

saddle-horse,  which  courtesy  enabled  him  to  scour  the 
country,  explore  out-of-the-way  places,  and  obtain 
magnificent,  extended  views  of  the  sparkling  blue 
waters  of  the  Pacific.  Six  weeks  of  almost  unalloyed 
happiness  in  this  congenial  climate  unfitted  us  for  our 
uncongenial  Spring.  As  we  actually  arrived  in  a  bliz- 
zard, this  inhospitable  reception  made  the  doctor  reiter- 
ate, that  if  he  were  twenty  years  younger,  California 
should  be  his  home. 

A  month  later  he  had  symptoms  that  suggested 
to  him  rheumatism  of  the  heart.  He  looked  forward  to 
warm  weather  for  relief, — warm  weather  came  but  not 
relief.     His    professional   work  was  continued,  his  at- 

331 


332  MEMORIAL  SKETCHES. 

tendance  upon  his  clinics  was  unfailing.  One  evening 
in  the  latter  part  of  July,  a  physician  came  to  have 
Doctor  Gunn  accompany  him  to  the  interior  of  the 
state  to  operate.  When  he  said  that  he  was  too  ill  to 
go,  we  realized  as  we  had  never  done  before,  the 
gravity  of  his  condition.  We  proposed  a  sea-voyage; 
to  this  he  replied,  "I  am  not  ambitious  to  be  eaten 
by  sharks!" 

His  attention  had  been  called  to  the  mineral  baths 
at  St.  Clair.  Being  the  most  available  point,  the  next 
day  saw  us  en  route  for  these  springs.  A  few  days 
after  his  arrival,  he  had  a  short  discouraging  illness; 
then  he  seemed  better,  or  at  least  his  pain  was  gone; 
this  alone  was  sufficient  to  make  him  cheerful.  He 
never  tired  of  the  river  scenery,  and  the  surroundings 
were  agreeable.  Some  old  friends  and  several  new 
acquaintances  made  a  pleasant  social  element. 

Among  those  in  whom  we  became  interested,  and 
who  seemed  equally  interested  in  us,  and  who  were 
endeared  to  me  on  account  of  their  regard  for  my  hus- 
band, were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G ,  young  married  people, 

and   Mrs.    S ,  who   had    early   passed   through    a 

shadow  of  trouble.     Mrs.  G ,  once  speaking  to  me 

of  the  doctor,  said,  "  Though  I  have  not  seen  so  many 
mile-stones,  it  has  been  my  good  fortune  to  go  about 
the  world  somewhat,  and  meet  a  great  many  people, 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  333 

but  never  until  I  met  Dr.  Gunn  liaye  I  seen  a  man  that 
so  fully  realizes  my  ideal,  especially  o£  what  one  would 
wish  for  in  a  father.  How  proud  liis  children  must  be 
of  him,  how  they  must  love  and  honor  and  venerate 
him!" 

One  afternoon  several  of  us  were  strolling  along 
near  the  river,  when  this  always  bright  and  agreeable 
woman,  with  something  like  child-like  pertinacity, 
insisted  that  the  doctor  should  entertain  them  by  telling 
about  his  courtship.  At  her  repeated  requests,  that 
he  should  " /e7/  //  a/7,"  he  replied: — "If  I  should,  you 
would  find  it  very  tii'esome,  though  some  of  it  was  very 
funny y  Then  with  a  lui'king  smile  of  humor,  "Pardon 
me  for  the  simile :  My  wife  in  those  days  resembled  the 
Irishman's  flea;  she  was  siu'e  of  me,  but  I  was  never 
sure  of  her — iniiil  I  got  her  I " 

Comparatively,  these  were  bright  and  happy  days, 
most  of  them,  and  I  mention  this  single  incident  to 
show  the  doctor's  light-heai*tedness,  in  contrast  to  the 
weeks  of  depression  that  had  gone  before. 

The  G s  left  a  few  days  in  advance  of  us.     A 

merry  party  with  exuberant  spirits  went  down  to  the 
landing  to  see  them  off.  Amidst  waving  adieus  as  the 
steamer  receded  from  the  wharf,  the  doctor's  young 
friend  threw  him  a  poppy! — a  parting  gift;  he  caught 
it,  waved  a  gallant  farewell  and  they  were  gone.     Who 


334  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

could  foresee  the  hour  that  brought  me  this  letter 
fi'om  her? — 

"Cincinnati,  November  13fh,  1887. 

"  My  heart  goes  out  in  deep  sympathy  for  you, 
while  a  spirit  of  sadness  comes  over  me  as  I  write,  to 
beg  the  privilege  of  laying  at  your  feet  our  humble 
offering  of  respect  for  youi'  husband.  Doctor  Gunn, 
whom  we  had  the  honor  to  meet,  and  whom  we  have 

since  so  thoroughly  appreciated.  *  Miss  K ,  whom 

I  have  lately  seen,  also  holds  his  memory  sacred,  and 
like  every  one  who  ever  met  and  knew  him,  blesses  the 
opportunity  afforded  of  h'&ving  known  a  man  so  court- 
eous and  so  distinguished. 

"  I  shall  never  forget  the  walk  along  the  river-bank, 
when  he  touched  upon  the  romance  of  his  life  with 
humor  that  did  not  hide  the  pathos  in  his  heart.  More 
than  ever  that  day,  I  recognized  his  dignified  and 
noble  bearing,  blended  with  every  impulse  of  a  genial 
and  kind-heai*ted  man.  To  me  he  looked  like  a  great 
general  or  leader  born  to  command,  and  yet  so  tender 
in  all  his  home  relations,  and  so  observant  of  social 
amenities.  How  well  I  remember  throwing  the  poppy 
from  the  deck  of  the  steamer!  Was  it  prophetic?  I 
can  shut  my  eyes  and  see  the  glorious  man  he  looked 
standing  there,  head  uncovered,  hat  aloft,  wa^^ing  me 
that  good-bye. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  335 

"He  was  one  who  drew  appreciative  hearts  to  him; 
it  was  impossible  to  be  in  his  presence  without  feeling 
the  magnetism  of  his  good  influence.  How  much  such 
a  life  does  for  humanity!  It  would  be  in  such  an 
atmosphere  that  we  should  love  to  live,  and  we  hope  to 
blend  our  lives  as  beautifully  as  you  did  youi'  own.'' 

I  retiu'n  to  one  of  the  few  remaining  days,  when  Ave 

drove   with   Judge   and   Mrs.  H .     The  chive  was 

long  and  pleasant.  Alighting  at  the  "Oakland,"  the 
doctor  expressed  his  thanks  for  the  enjoyment  they  had 
given  him,  adding,  "  I  have  had  a  capital  time.  I  feel 
perfectly  well  and  it  won't  do  to  fool  away  any  more 
time  here.     I  must  get  back  to  work." 


Sunday  evening,  which  was  the  following  evening, 
he  did  not  feel  so  well;  Monday  he^  did  not  leave 
his  room,  but  Tuesday  morning  re-appeared  at  the 
breakfast  table.  Dr.  T.  TT.  M had  been  watch- 
ing the  doctor.     Some  hours  later  Mrs.  H asked 

when  we  were  going.  I  replied  "On  Thui'sday." 
"Well,"  she  responded,  "that  will  be  time  enough,'' 
"  For  what  ?  "    I  said  in  surprise.    Hesitating  a  moment, 

she  answered,  "Dr.  M fears  your  husband  is  going 

to  be  ill,  and  thinks  he  ought  to  be  at  home."  Was  it 
possible  we  had  deceived  ourselves  ?     No,  it  could  not 


336  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

be  quite  possible,  but  the  cliilling  purport  of  her  words 
haanted  me,  and  inj  heart  sank  to  its  lowest  depths! 

Thursday  we  left  St.  Clair,  remained  twenty-four 
hours  in  Detroit  with  some  life-long  friends  of  my  hus- 
band— a  visit  which  brings  the  saddest  of  pleasant 
memories.  Friday  night  we  were  at  home;  we  had 
just  escaped.  Sunday  morning  the  doctor  was  serious- 
ly ill-.  It  is  painful  to  revert  briefly  to  this  illness, — 
to  a  night  when  his  physicians  thought  he  would  never 
see  the  morning.  Their  unwearied  efforts  restored  him 
to  life.  Afterwards  he  had  a  short  convalescence,  but 
when  he  again  found  himself  prosti'ated  with  days  and 
nights  of  suffering,  he  said,  "  It  would  have  been  better 
if  the  doctors  had  let  me  die  that  night. ''^ 


CHAFTEK  THIETY-FIEST. 

^^TXJNE," — the  doctor's  saddle-horse,  was  a  Kentucky 
J  thoroughbred;  beautiful  as  the  month  for  which 
she  was  named,  and  as  intelligent,  almost,  as  she  was 
beautiful.  Black,  her  coat,  like  the  sheen  of  satin^ 
glistened  in  the  sun-light.  Her  small  head,  small 
acute  ears,  eyes  ever  vigilant,  broad,  flat  shoulders,  light 
sinewy  legs,  and  other  points,  denoted  her  patrician 
blood.  She  was  a  little  over  fifteen  and  a  half  hands 
high.  At  first  the  doctor  hesitated  about  taking  her, 
but  was  assured  that  a  thoroughbred  of  her  size  could 
carry  him  with  ease,  and  that  in  a  year  or  two  she 
would  grow  heavier.  In  carrying  him  she  bore  over 
one-quarter  of  her  own  weight. 

She  could  single-foot  rapidly,  though  the  doctor 
seldom  speeded  her.  To  her  bridle  was  attached  a 
coquettish  nose-strap  of  fringed  leather,  just  touching 
her  nostrils.  By  a  motion  of  his  hand,  he  had  taught 
her  to  place  herself  at  his  side.  He  mounted  easily 
and  when  in  the  saddle  was  mobile  and  magnificent, 
22  337 


338  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

while  she  with  her  light  hoofs  just  spurning  the  ground, 
moved  proudly  and  gracefully  along. 

Dismounting  at  his  door,  the  doctor  threw  her 
bridle-rein  over  the  saddle  to  indicate  that  he  was 
through  with  her  services.  She  would  then  take  a 
small  circle  on  the  avenue,  proudly  turn  the  corner  and 
walk  majestically  to  the  stable  at  the  end  ef  the  street, 
where  a  groom  was  usually  ready  to  receive  her.  If 
not,  after  standing  a  moment,  she  would  turn,  take  a 
broad  circuit  and  come  again  upon  the  platform.  This 
time,  if  she  received  no  attention  and  was  kept  waiting, 
she  would  neigh,  or  with  her  hoof  paw  on  the  closed 
door. 

She  responded  immediately  to  the  doctor's  raised 
hand,  whether  several  rods  away  on  the  lawn,  where 
sometimes  she  was  permitted,  or  in  her  stall,  from 
which  backing  carefully,  she  turned  and  crossed  the 
stable  floor,  wheeling  quickly  in  order  to  place  herself 
at  the  doctor  s  side,  while  he  always  caressed  her 
approvingly. 

Guests  staying  in  the  house  seldom  failed  to  witness 
this  entertainment,  when  two  or  more  of  the  family 
were  sure  to  add  themselves  to  the  small  audience  of 
delighted  guests.  Once  she  was  allowed  to  hurry  over 
one  of  the  bridges  just  as  the  bell  had  rung.  Ever 
after  when  hearing  the  ring  she  would  quicken  her  pace 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  339 

and  skim  over  before    the  bridge    could    be    opened, 
greatly  to  the  amusement  of  those  in  charge. 

During  the  doctor's  supposed  convalescence,  he 
desired  a  new  span  of  carriage  horses.  As  this  in- 
volved sending  some  of  the  others  into  the  country,  he 
decided  that  "June"  should  be  one  of  them,  saying, 
"  Perhaps  in  the  Spring  when  she  comes  back,  her  old 
master  will  be  able  to  ride  her."  The  morning  she 
went  (I  saw  her  pass),  I  shall  never  forget  the  feelings 
that  came  over  me,  but  turning  as  cheerfully  as  I  could, 
I  said,  "  Doctor,  June  has  just  gone!  and  you  never  saw 
her."  "No,"  he  replied,  "I  aA'oided  looking  out  for 
fear  I  should  see  her." 

The  sensations  awakened  by  the  sight  of  a  favorite 
brute  bereft  of  a  loving  master,  are  none  the  less 
painful  because  the  heart  is  full  of  a  greater  grief. 
June  seemed,  and  now  seems,  a  part  of  him;  and  in 
those  old,  familiar  places  where  I  have  seen  him  riding 
so  royally,  the  superb  vision  is  photographed  on  the 
scene. 

During  the  two  weeks  of  the  doctor's  apparent  im- 
provement, he  drove  several  times,  but  each  day  instead 
of  the  distance  being  increased,  it  was  lessened.  AYhen 
again  prostrated,  foreseeing  his  doom,  and  fearing  a 
lingering  illness,  he  said:  "God  grant  the  struggle 
may  not  last  long!" 


340  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

A  few  days — and  the  light  of  a  more  glorious  world, 
perhaps,  dawned  upon  him,  but  to  me  the  days  were 
darker  than  the  darkest  midnight  hour.  From  out 
that  darkness,  his  intonation  of  a  name  falls  upon  my 
ear  and  leaves  me — in  the  desolation  of  despair! 


i^ 


CHAPTEE  THTRTY-SECOllSrD. 

n^HIS  and  the  succeeding  chapters  contain  a  part  only 
^  of  the  many  loving  letters  and  tributes  which 
flowed  in  upon  me  after  Doctor  Gunn's  death.  I 
regret  that  I  cannot  put  them  all  in  print,  as  well  as 
the  generous  testimonials  received  fi'om  the  hospitals 
and  medical  societies  with  which  he  was  connected. 


PROFESSOR  CORYDON  L.  FORD. 

"Ann  Aeboe,  November  7th,  1887. 

"I  was  astonished  and  pained  at  the 
message  received  on  Friday  evening,  for  I  had  always 
anticipated  that  Dr.  Gunn,  with  his  strong  physique 
and  vigorous  intellect,  would  long  survive  my  own 
feeble  organization,  to  bless  and  serve  the  invalid,  for 
which  he  was  so  fitted  by  nature  and  attainments.    . 

"Until  I  received  the  telegram  I  had  supposed  that 
the  doctor  enjoyed  the  same  vigorous  health  as  when 
we  last  met.  I  sorrow  for  his  death  as  that  of  a 
brother  beloved.      For  more  than  forty  years  of  pro- 

341 


342  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

fessional  life,  many  of  which  were  side  by  side,  we 
labored  in  our  sphere  to  relieve  human  suffering  and  to 
teach  others  to  do  so.  Thousands  will  regret  his  early 
removal  as  prematurely  closing  a  career  of  unusual 
success  in  his  chosen  field  of  labor,  by  which  the  world 
loses  a  faithful  sei*vant,  and  the  medical  profession  an 
inspiring  example,  whose  influence  will,  happily,  be 
perpetuated  in  numberless  sur^sdvors. 

"  There  is  also  the  added  comfort  of  a  companion 
whose  death  thousands  join  in  lamenting,  for  your 
sake,  for  their  sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  humanity.  .  . 
A  ti'ue  man  has  fallen,  but  his  influence  does  not  end; 
the  thousands  who  have  profited  by  his  invaluable 
instruction  and  the  contagion  of  his  enthusiasm  will 
carry  it  on  and  cause  it  to  be  felt  for  many  a  year  to 
come."  ..... 

rev.  george  francis  nelson. 

"Grace  House,  New  York, 

''November  16ih,  1887. 

"  How  can  I  tell  you,  my  dear  friend,  of  the  pro- 
found sympathy  which  the  unhappy  news  fi'om  your 
household  has  stirred  in  my  heart.  The  memory  of 
old-time  pleasant  houi-s  under  youi'  roof  is  so  fresh  and 
dear  to  me  still,  even  after  this  long  lapse  of  years,  that 
your  bereavement  touches  me  with  a  shock  as  if  I  had 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  343 

but  yesterday  come  from  your  fireside,  to  hear  to-day  of 
the  shadow  that  has  quenched  its  brightness. 

"What  a  rare  personality  was  Doctor  Gunn's!  He 
was  one  of  the  few  men  I  have  ever  known  whose  very 
presence  was  an  inspii'ation.  With  most  of  our  friends, 
perhaps,  the  graces  of  character  which  endear  us  to 
them,  are  gems  that  brighten  only  in  the  light  of  our 
intimate  knowledge;  they  do  not  have  the  setting 
always  that  seems  best  fitted  to  make  them  plain  to 
every  eye.  But  now  and  then  we  meet  men  whose  form 
and  bearing  at  once  suggest  even  to  the  most  casual 
observer,  the  strong  and  gracious  character  within. 
Such  a  man  was  the  friend  for  whom  I  beg  the  privi- 
lege of  mingling  my  mourning  with  your  own. 

"How  well  I  remember  the  room  where  we  some- 
times sat  together  at  table!  There  was  a  window  of 
richly  tinted  glass  overlooking  the  waters  of  Lake 
Michigan,  and  giving  to  lake  and  sky,  to  stately  ship, 
or  patched  and  lowly  sail  a  coloring  of  strange,  exquis- 
ite beauty.  And  what  a  symbol  that  radiant  window 
was  of  the  gifted  physician  to  whom  it  belonged!  How 
it  suggests  to  my  thought  that  charity  of  his  vision 
which  transfigured  all  that  it  viewed,  and  made  the 
crippled  beggar  equal  to  any  prince,  for  the  ministra- 
tions of  its  mercy. 

"There  is  another  thing  I  love  to  recall.     It  is  Doc- 


344  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

tor  Gunn  at  Ms  telescope.  What  enthusiasm  was  his 
when  he  brought  out  the  lens  that  made  the  starry 
skies  come  closer  with  their  pure  looks!  What  new 
interest  he  awakened  in  the  group  of  his  evening  guests 
on  the  summer  yeranda !  And  was  it  not  a  sign  of  a  life 
that  uplifted  all  it  touched?  He  was  never  a  dreamer. 
The  force  that  he  turned  to  the  star-lit  vaulting  of 
the  night  was  the  force  that  bent  in  toil  over  day-time 
tasks. 

"I  shall  not  soon  forget  the  ring  of  his  voice  nor 
the  manly  light  of  his  face,  and  I  am  comforted  not  a 
little  that  I  felt  the  pressure  of  his  hand  the  last  time 
I  was  in  Chicago.  What  a  heritage  memory  gives  us 
sometimes!  Some  light  of  sweetness  fades  out  of  that 
vision  which  opens  in  the  present  and  hopefully  com- 
forts in  the  future,  but  memory  has  garnered  up  some- 
thing of  its  richness  in  the  years  that  are  gone,  and 
now  sets  its  kindly  influence  like  star-gleams  breaking 
the  night  of  sorrow.  Surely  such  a  memory  wakes  and 
works  now  in  your  grief. 

"I  cherish  most  of  all  the  memory  of  his  strong  and 
stainless  spirit.  I  knew  something  of  what  he  was  out 
in  the  busy  world  where  his  skill  and  energy  made  so 
bright  a  ,mark,  but  it  was  my  privilege  to  know  him 
better  still  at  his  own  fireside,  and  it  was  there  under 
his  kindly  roof,  where  from  time  to  time  I  had  the  good 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  345 

fortune  to  be  one  of  his  guests,  that  I  learned  to  esteem 
him  with  a  hearty  thoroughness  which  made  every 
moment  of  his  friendship  a  precious  one. 

"  But  his  eyes,  perhaps,  thirsted  for  the  light  of 
other  worlds  than  our  own.  He  was  glad  to  awaken 
such  a  thirst  in  his  friends.  And  to  all  who  knew  him 
this  was  but  a  sign  of  a  heart  that  may  have  learned 
amid  all  its  hopes  and  toils  to  look"  away  from  earth 
for  its  sweetest  peace. 

"Beloved  physician  and  Christian  friend,  may' God 
keep  alive  in  us  the  memory  of  thy  wisdom,  and  com- 
fort us  for  thy  loss!  " 

dr.  claudius  h.  mastin. 

"Mobile,  Alabama, 

''November  14th,  1887. 

"I  was  greatly  shocked  when  I  heard  of  the  afflic- 
tion which  had  fallen  upon  your  family.  Doctor  Gunn 
and  myself  were  very  warm  personal  friends,  and  while 
our  acquaintance  had  been  of  short  duration,  it  soon 
ripened  into  a  genuine  friendship  which  I  had  learned 
to  value.  Although  known  professionally  to  each  other 
for  many  years,  oui'  personal  acquaintance  dates  back 
only  to  the  summer  of  1883. 

"We  met  first  in  Philadelphia  at  the  house  of  our 
common   and  lamented   friend.   Professor    Samuel    D. 


346  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

Gross.     We  were  both  in  attendance  upon  the  annual 

session    of   the    American    Surgical  Association.     Dr. 

Gross  was  President,  whilst  the  Vice-Presidency  was 

vacant  by  the  death  of  Dr.  James  P.  Wood,  of  New 

York.     It  so  happened  that  I  was  on  the  nominating 

committee,  and  through  my  influence  Doctor  Gunn  was 

chosen  for  that  office.     After  the  death  of  Dr.  Gross, 

the  Presidency  of  the  association  was  filled  first  by  Dr. 

Moore  of  New  York,  then  by  Dr.  Briggs  of  Tennessee. 

When  I  again  came  into  position,  I  nominated  your 

husband  for  the  Presidency,  and  of  course  his  election 

was  assured. 

"We  were  in  the  habit 

of  frequently  corresponding  with  each  other,  and  at 
this  time  I  have  a  large  number  of  his  letters  on  file  as 
valuable  documents.  It  is  probable  you  may  find 
many  of  mine  among  his  papers.  Since  the  first  day 
we  met  in  Philadelphia,  in  1883,  there  has  been  an 
uninterrupted  friendship  between  us.  My  first  inter- 
view with  him  so  impressed  me  that  I  was  irresistibly 
drawn  to  him  by  his  manly,  chivalric  bearing,  his 
graceful  manner,  aad  his  distinguished  personal  ap- 
pearance. 

"  In  all  my  intercourse  with  your  husband,  I  never 
found  him  aught  else  than  a  polished  gentleman  and 
scholar.     He  had   all  the   attributes  of  a  noble  man. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  347 

From  close  observation,  I  always  form  a  very  just  esti- 
mate of  men,  and  am  not  often  mistaken  in  my  diag- 
nosis. From  the  first  time  I  ever  met  him,  I  thought 
him  to  be  just  Avhat  time  has  proved  to  be  true ;  and  I 
fancy  that  old  heraldic  insignia,  with  its  ribbon  bearing 
the  motto  of  some  old  knight  of  yore,  ^'  Aid  pax  aid 
helium,^''  is  justly  and  honorably  worn  by  a  worthy  son 
of  an  honored  line.  ..... 

"  His  paper  before  the  association  that  year,  im- 
pressed me  that  he  was  no  ordinary  man  intellectually. 
There  we  shall  miss  his  wise  counsel,  his  genial  society, 
and  his  distinguished  personnel.  I  cultivated  an 
acquaintance  of  which  I  have  given  you  an  outline, 
— one  which  was  full  of  pleasure  for  me.  I  can  hardly 
add  to  the  many  flattering  testimonials  already  written 
on  the  life  and  character  of  your  husband.  It  would 
afford  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  say  something  more 
in  the  way  of  an  eulogy  upon  his  life  and  to  add  my 
grain  of  sand  in  rearing  a  monument  to  his  memory. 
In  his  death  his  fi-iends  have  sustained  a  terrible  blow, 
the  American  Surgical  Association  has  lost  one  of  its 
most  valued  fellows,  and  the  profession  of  America 
one  of  its  brightest  jewels. 

"  I  will  not  longer  intrude  upon  your  sorrow,  nor 
attempt  to  offer  you  the  valueless  balm  of  consolation, 
for  it  would  be  cold  charity  for  me  to  speak  to  you  of 


348  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

his  worth.  His  memory  lives  in  the  hearts  of  his  pro- 
fessional friends,  and  it  will  be  long  before  the  void  he 
has  left,  can  be  filled." 

MRS.   KATE   H.   LYMAN. 

Washington,  D.  C,  December  1st,  1888. 

"  The  remembrance  of  the  valued  friendship  with 
which  your  kind  husband  honored  me  has  prompted 
this  expression  of  sympathy  and  appreciation,  which 
is,  however,  utterly  inadequate  to  express  the  esteem 
and  reverence  due  to  a  man  of  his  genius,  scientific 
acquirements,  and  high  professional  learning. 

"A  memoir,  it  seems  to  me,  my  friend,  is  a  sad 
retrospect  of  the  dear  lives  which  have  made  life 
happy,  which  taken  in  connection  with  our  own,  made 
nature  lovelier,  friends  dearer  and  living  one  bright 
dream  of  happiness;  not  the  sad  recollection  of  those 
days  which  shut  out  the  loved  ones  from  our  view, 
throwing  over  earth  a  pall  and  filling  us  with  woe  and 
despair — days  when  our  only  sense  was  our  misery  and 
the  poignant  knowledge  of  our  loss. 

"Let  us  leave  this  retrospect  and  go  back  to  the 
happier  days — the  days  when  we  were  all  together  in 
your  happy  home. 

"My  first  recollections  of  Dr.  Gunn  are  so  closely 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  349 

allied  with  those  of  his  wife  and  children,  that  for 
me  they  are  the  sacred  memory  of  a  life  not  lived 
in  vain. 

"At  thf  time  of  the  great  fire  in  1871,  those  days  of 
gloom  were  met  by  him  with  courage  for  himself  and 
the  utterly  wrecked  college  of  which  he  was  a  distin- 
guished member,  and  with  sympathy  and  encouragement 
for  the  suffering  and  unfortunate.  That  is  to  me  a 
peculiarly  memorable  time,  and  recalling  his  eai'uest 
solicitude  and  interest  is  'A  sorrow's  crown  of  sorrow' 
in  'remembering  happier  days.' 

"He  was  markedly  conspicuous  in  public  places  by 
his  distinguished  bearing;  and  as  President  of  the 
American  Surgical  Association  in  Washington  in  1885 
will  long  be  remembered. 

"  His  enjoyment  of  the  social  entertainments  was 
most  gratifying  to  his  friends  here.  The  occasion  of 
his  meeting  the  great  philanthropist  of  this  city,  W. 
W.  Corcoran  (since  gone  to  his  rest),  was  an  occasion 
not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  It  was  a  noticeable  group, 
the  aged  host,  receiving  that  body  of  distinguished 
men,  prominent  among  whom  was  Doctor  Gunn  with 
his  handsome  face  and  commanding  figure.  As  he 
bowed  low  with  the  courtesy  and  veneration  due  to  the 
recognized  benefactor  of  this  city,  and  as  each  spoke 
w^ords  of  greeting  expressive  of  the  respect  due  to  the 


350  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

other,  all  present  paused  for  an  instant.  It  was  their 
last  meeting,  and  its  impressiveness  seems  now  to  have 
been  prophetic  of  the  change  since  come  to  both. 

"But  I  could  go  on  forever  dreaming  of  this  great 
nature.  In  the  words  of  his  successor  in  Bush  Col- 
lege, 'How  his  place  can  be  filled  it  is  impossible  to 
tell.'  But  hearts  do  not  break,  and  lives  do  not  cease, 
and  the  world  moves  on  carelessly  as  though  a  hero 
had  not  fallen  by  the  way.  Who  can  tell  but  that  his 
great  mind  has  passed  on  to  more  complete  perfection, 
has  solved  the  problem  which  must  come  to  all  some 
time,  and  that  he  looks  with  pitying  eye  upon  our  poor 
endeavors  and  disappointments,  he  having  realized  the 
full  fruition  of  all  hope?  Who  can  tell?  May  we 
not  hope  that  these  days  of  tears,  and  prayers,  and 
aspirations,  are  the  fuller  accomplishment  of  a  Divine 
purpose  for  the  happy  reunion  with  the  loved  ones 
gone  before? 

"That  you  may  have  encouragement  for  the  purposes 
of  your  life,  and  strength  to  accomplish  all  before  you, 
and  that  fiiends  may  seem  dearer  for  the  sweet  sym- 
pathy extended,  and  life  become  at  least  peaceful  and 
hopeful,  is  my  dearest  wish." 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  351 

DR.   ROSWELL   PARK. 

"Buffalo,  New  York,  November  oilu  1S87. 

"  I  should  do  myself  scant  justice 
did  I  fail  to  at  least  express  my  sympathy  for  yon  .  . 
as  well  as  to  tell  yon  of  my  own  personal  loss.  The 
doctor  had  indeed  been  a  true  fiiend  to  me.  and  I  re- 
vered him  and  had  learned  to  regard  him  almost  as  one 
might  a  parent.  How  much  I  owed  him  I  could  better 
tell  if  you  knew  how  favored  I  have  been  here  where 
his  friendly  influence  placed  me."  .  .  . 

"Buffalo,  Xew  York,  January,  1888. 

"I  send  herewith  a  little  tribute 
of  respect  to  Doctor  Gunn's  memory  which  I  hope  will 
at  least  not  displease  you: — 

"  'It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  there  was  much 
in  the  character  and  ability  of  Professor  Gunn  which 
vouno:  men  should  trv  to  imitate.  In  reo^ard  to  those 
relations  between  doctor  and  patient,  not  only  the  most 
cordial  but  the  most  sacred,  he  was  punctilious  to  a 
degree.  Never  could  a  word  be  elicited  from  him  that 
could  disturb  these  relations  or  breed  distrust. 

"  'In  the  many  delicate  positions  in  which  a  consult- 
ant often  finds  himself,  no  one  was  more  considerate, 
more  honorable  than  he.  In  his  habit  of  saying 
nothinflf  unkind  of  or  to  young'  men  he  showed  himself 


852  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  ^ 

his  juniors'  kindest  friend.  It  never  was  my  lot  to  call 
in  any  one  who  was  more  considerate  in  all  these  re- 
spects than  he ;  yet  never  for  an  instant  sacrificing  the 
interests  of  the  patient.  In  all  that  was  courtly  and 
noble,  I  have  never  seen  his  superior. 

"  'Of  his  abilities  as  a  teacher  and  operator,  others 
who  have  seen  him  and  known  him  longer  than  I,  can 
speak  more  fittingly,  I  have  been  so  fortunate,  how- 
ever, as  to  see  him  time  and  again  hold  the  attention 
of  large  audiences  absolutely  riveted  upon  himself  and 
his  work;  and  to  those  who  really  know  what  clinical 
lecturing  is,  this  means  the  possession  of  didactic  and 
oratorical  powers  of  the  highest  order.  His  command- 
ing figure,  his  beautiful  command  of  his  subject,  his 
grace  of  diction,  his  intrepidity  of  operating — all  these 
conspired  to  make  his  clinics  memorable,  as  well  as 
to  inspire  in  his  auditors  that  enthusiastic  reverence 
with  which  every  one  of  his  former  students  remember 
him. 

"'Whether,  then,  one  remembers  him  as  teacher, 
operator,  friend  or  citizen.  Doctor  Gunn  must  ever 
remain  in  one's  memory  ^s  one  of  the  commanding 
characters  of  the  century — one  that  may  find,  as  it 
ought,  many  imitators,  but  few  if  any  rivals.' 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  353 

"I  also  enclose  what  was  an  editorial  notice  of 
his  death,  that  I  put  in  the  journal  of  which  I  am 
editor,  'The  Medical  Press  of  Western  Xew  York' 
of  December,  1887: —  ..... 

"  'In  many  respects  like  his  eren  more  widely  known 
colleague  ( Langenbeck)  was  the  late  Professor  Moses 
Gunn,  of  Chicago,  who  died  early  in  Xovember. 

"  'A  graduate  of  the  college  of  Geneva,  which  col- 
lege, by  the  way,  was  moved  to  Buffalo  and  made  the 
Buffalo  Medical  College,  a  friend  and  class-mate  of  the 
late  Dr.  Rochester,  he  determined  to  hew  his  own  path 
in  the  great  West,  and  in  1846  settled  in  Ann  Arbor. 
He  took  with  him  two  trunks,  one  of  which  contained 
his  personal  effects;  the  other  held  the  cadaver  of  a 
colored  man,  which  he  intended  to  dissect  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  new  professional  associates.  He  soon  gath- 
ered about  him  a  class,  and  this  became  the  nucleus  of 
the  medical  school  which  was  attached  to  the  University 
of  Michiofan.  In  Ann  Arbor  as  in  Detroit  Dr.  Gunn 
established  a  reputation  which  brought  him  an  ex- 
tensive practice. 

"  'When  Dr.  Brainard  died  of  cholera,  after  the  war, 
during  the  terrible  epidemic  which  visited  Chicago, 
Doctor  Gunn  was  invited  to  occupy  his  chair  in  Bush 

23 


354  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

Medical  College,  which  he  has  since  filled  to  the  emi- 
nent satisfaction  and  pride  of  all  concerned. 

"  '  A  man  of  jovial  natiu'e,  earnest  and  most  pains- 
taking in  his  work,  honorable  to  the  extreme  degree, 
an  abominator  of  quackery  in  any  form,  a  clear  and 
admirable  teacher,  an  intrepid  operator — he  endeared 
himself  alike  to  the  public  and  to  the  students  whose 
idol  he  was. 

"  'It  will  be  difficult  to  find  his  successor  either  in 
the  esteem  of  the  Western  profession  or  his  capability 
of  imparting  instruction.  He  had  been  honored  with 
the  highest  evidences  of  respect  by  his  brother  sur- 
geons, having  recently  been  President  of  the  American 
Surgical  Association.'  " 

DR.   HENRY   M.   LYMAN. 

"Chicago,  August  9th,  1888. 

"I  was  one  of  the  firm 
friends  and  warm  admirers  of  your  husband,  yet  it  was 
so  little  of  friendly  intercourse  with  him  that  I  could 
ever  enjoy,  that  my  recollections  are  almost  entirely 
confined  to  our  reunions  at  the  meetings  of  the  Faculty 
or  Trustees  of  the  College,  and  its  public  anniversaries. 
"I  greatly  admired  his  noble  presence,  his  active 
energy,  his  clear  comprehension  of  every  subject 
brought  before  him,    and  his  prompt  decision  when 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  355 

judgment  was  required.  He  always  produced  upon  me 
the  impression  of  a  great,  broad-gauged  soul  that  could 
never  descend  to  anything  low  or  mean.  He  was  an 
eagle  always  soaring  in  the  upper  air.  It  was  a  good 
thing  for  students  and  for  the  younger  members  of  the 
profession  to  have  such  an  example  living  before  them 
— hence  one  of  the  sources  of  the  regret  which  I  feel 
over  his  loss. 

"I  wish  I  could  add  more  from  a  larger  acquaint- 
ance with  my  much  honored  friend,  but  the  course  of 
our  lives  lay  so  far  apart  that  I  really  possess  too  little, 
in  the  matter  of  reminiscences  such  as  you  would 
naturally  desire.  Count  me  always  as  having  been 
one  of  his  most  loyal  friends." 


CHAPTER  THIRTY-THIRD. 

A  FEW  words  from  Professor  Hyde's  address  to  the 
-^^  class  on  the  morning  after  Doctor  Gnnn's  death : 
— "A  great  man  has  gone  fi'om  ns.  When  we  use  the 
term  great,  we  all  know  it  has  a  purely  relative  meaning. 
A  man  who  is  esteemed  great  after  a 
life  of  intimate  relationship  with  thousands  of  his  fel- 
low beings  in  many  important,  and  even  sacred  trusts, 
we  may  regard  as  great  in  some  worthy  sense  of  the 
word. 

"It  has  been  my  personal  lot  to  know  some  of  the 
great  men  of  the  world.  ...  I  have 

known  a  few  men  in  private  life  who,  though  then  but 
little  esteemed,  secured  for  themselves  afterward  a  place 
which  the  world  thought  high.  Now  with  this  possibly 
narrow  experience  of  greatness  in  others,  I  set  it  down 
in  calm  judgment  that  he  who  has  gone,  should  have 
his  name  spread  upon  the  roll  of  the  truly  great. 

"  This  is  not  the  place  nor  have  I  the  right  to  occupy 
your  time  in  pronouncing  that  eulogy  upon  his  great- 
ness, which  will  be  uttered  more  worthily  by  other  lips 

356 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  357 

in  another  place.  Others  will  speak  and  write  of  what 
he  was,  what  he  did  for  his  profession,  what  dextrous 
skill  he  had,  what  scientific  attainments  he  possessed. 
Others  will  relate  his  history,  from  the  days  of  his  life 
in  school  to  those  of  his  professorship;  will  follow  his 
footsteps  over  the  western  prairies  in  the  piping  times 
of  peace,  as  well  as  over  the  battle-worn  fields  of  Vir- 
ginia in  the  army  of  McClellan  during  the  struggles 
of  war;  and  even  over  the  lands  beyond  the  sea 
whither  he  travelled  for  recreation  and  observation. 

"I  dwell  on  none  of  these  points.  This  is  the  hour 
for  the  tears  of  friendship,  for  the  broken  accents  of 
the  voice  that  mourns.  I  loved  him  and  he  is  gone! — 
that  is  my  story  of  sorrow  to-day.  You  loved  him  too, 
I  doubt  not;  but  perhaps  none  of  you  like  myself  had 
this  love  strengthened  by  a  thousand  acts  of  unselfish 
kindness  or  tested  by  an  unfailing  regard,  enduiing  for 
years  and  expressed  always  with  the  least  demonstration 
and  the  greatest  constancy. 

"When  I  say  this  of  myself,  I  say  it  of  every  mem- 
ber of  the  Faculty  of  the  College.  We  loved  him,  we 
all  held  him  in  the  same  tender  regard.  Our  sense  of 
personal  bereavement  is  our  chief  sorrow.  Words  fail 
me  in  this  moment  of  grief  to  tell  all  that  is  in  our 
hearts  relating  to  his  personal  association  with  us,  his 
loyal  attachments,   his    lofty  ideal  of    honor,   his   un- 


358  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

swerving  faitlifulness  to  duty,  his  steadfast  trust  in  his 
friends,  and  his  long  self-denying  labor.  We  are 
heart-broken  in  this  sorrow,  'For  God  maketh  our 
hearts  soft,  and  the  Almighty  troubleth  us.'  " 

Dr.  Charles  T.  Parkes,  who  succeeded  Doctor 
Gunn  in  the  chair  of  surgery  at  Kush  Metlical  College, 
made  the  following  remarks  at  the  first  commencement 
exercises  of  the  college  after  the  doctor's  death: — 

"  To  me  has  been  awarded  the  privilege  of  making 
a  few  remarks  on  some  of  the  characteristics  of  my 
immediate  predecessor  in  the  department  of  surgery  in 
this  institution,  the  late  Professor  Moses  Gunn,  A.M., 
M.D.,  LL.D.  I  esteem  this  favor  a  great  privilege; 
still  it  is  to  me  in  part  a  task,  because  I  fully  appreciate 
my  inability  to  do  proper  justice  to  the  chosen  theme. 

"  May  we  not  hope,  however,  that  upon  this  occasion 
a  few  plain  words,  quietly  spoken,  by  one  who  loved 
him  much,  and  reverenced  him,  if  possible,  more  than 
he  loved  him,  will  tell  the  story  as  well  as  if  it  were 
enhanced  by  all  the  charms  of  oratory. 

"  Twenty  years  of  the  closest  intimacy  between  two 
men,  an  intimacy  almost  daily  in  frequency,  without  a 
single  manifestation  of  diversity  of  purpose,  without 
any  unpleasant  words  spoken,  without  even  the  indul- 
gence in  an  ungenerous  thought  one  toward  the  other, 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  359 

ought,  when  either  of  them  is  called  upon  to  pay  the 
last  debt  to  Nature,  to  make  the  testimony  of  the  sur- 
vivor trustworthy.  At  the  same  time,  and  quite  as 
surely,  it  fills  his  heart  full  of  sadness  to  review  the 
long  period  of  happy  and  honorable  association,  so 
untimely  ended,  and  to  remember  the  loss  we  feel  in 
the  absence  of  the  departed  one — so  sadly  and  solemnly 
suggested  by  this  empty  chair,  bearing  the  emblems  of 
mourning. 

"One  year  ago,  on  the  occasion  of  the  holding  of 
the  commencement  exercises  of  this  institution,  the 
President  very  happily  felicitated  himself,  and  congrat- 
ulated his  colleagues,  on  the  fact  that  so  many  years 
had  passed  away  without  showing  any  break  in  the 
chain  which  bound  us  together  as  a  corps  of  teachers. 
Alas !  how  short  the  period  in  the  midst  of  which  one  of 
the  firmest  links  has  been  torn  asunder  by  the  strong 
and  resistless  hand  of  Death!  Professor  Gunn,  our 
beloved  brother,  has  gone  away  from  his  labors  and 
trials  and  worries,  and  who  will  catch  up  the  thread 
now  that  is  fallen  from  his  fingers  ? 

"The  man  who  would  inscribe  his  name  high  on 
the  walls  of  the  temple  erected  in  commemoration  of 
the  deeds  of  great  surgeons,  alongside  of  the  scroll 
bearing  the  name  of  Moses  Gunn — upon  the  reading 
of  which  all  men  will  gladly  pay  the  obeisance  of  honor 


360  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

and  respect — must  be  a  perfect  master  of  tlie  construc- 
tion and  functions  of  the  component  parts  of  the  human 
body ;  of  the  changes  induced  in  them  by  the  onslaughts 
of  disease;  of  the  defects  cast  upon  them  as  a  legacy 
by  progenitors ;  of  the  vital  capacity  remaining  in  them 
throughout  all  vicissitudes  of  existence.  He  must  be, 
at  the  same  time,  wise  in  human  nature,  wise  in  the 
laws  of  general  science,  wise  in  social  amenities. 

"Professor  Gunn  came  among  us  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  possessed  of  all  these  acquirements,  and 
more.  During  his  stay  in  our  midst  we  have  been  the 
beneficiaries  in  the  results  of  his  tireless  labors;  the 
recipients  of  his  many  acts  of  graceful  and  kindly 
favor;  the  companions,  among  whom  were  enjoyed  his 
fleeting  moments  of  ease  and  recreation.  With  us 
there  still  remain  man's  triumphs  and  man's  burdens — 
to  him  has  come  God's  peace  and  God's  rest. 

"If  it  is  oriven  for  me  to  choose  the  most  noticeable 
of  the  many  remarkable  characteristics  belonging  to 
this  great  sui'geon,  it  would  be  embraced  in  the  expres- 
sion: '-Devotion  to  Duty."  "With  him  an  ever-present 
and  an  every- day  devotion,  which  the  storms  of  winter 
and  the  heats  of  summer  availed  not  to  diminish  nor 
dampen.  A  devotion  as  fi'esh  and  untiling  as  the 
ardor  of  youth's  enthusiasm;  a  devotion  as  full  of  zeal 
as  that  which  animated  the  hearts  of  the  fire  worshipers 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  361 

of  old — the  flame  of  their  altar  fii'es  never  went  out.  A 
devotion  to  duty,  which  we,  his  colleagues,  will  do  well 
to  imitate.  Certainly  a  devotion  which  the  students 
cannot  do  better  than  to  cultivate;  and  if  they  do  but 
cultivate  it  earnestly  and  continuously,  there  will  surely 
come  to  them,  as  to  him,  the  fullest  measui'e  of  success 
and  honor. 

"It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  there  is  one 
period  in  the  life  of  those  unfortunate  individuals 
afflicted  with  diseases  demanding  the  surgeon's  atten- 
tion, which  is  more  replete  than  any  other  with  anxiety 
of  mind  and  distress  of  spirit;  often,  it  constitutes  a 
perfect  agony  of  suffering.  It  lies  in  the  interval  be- 
tween the  time  when  any  present  trouble  is  diagnosed, 
its  nature  determined,  and  the  hour  appointed  when  a 
surgical  operation  is  to  be  done  for  its  relief  or  removal. 
It  is  an  interval  of  time  which  the  merciful  surgeon 
should  never  alloAv  himself  to  forget.  For  the  patient, 
every  moment  of  it  is  full  of  the  worst  forebodings, 
engendered  by  the  dread  of  the  knife  and  the  fear  of 
death. 

"No  patient  ever  shed  one  tear  too  many,  or  felt 
one  pang  of  anguish  more  than  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary, on  account  of  any  forgetfulness  or  lack  of 
punctuality  on  the  part  of  Professor  Gunn.  With  an 
appointment  made,  he  was  as  sure  to  be  present  at  the 


362 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 


appointed  hour,  as  the  snn  is  to  cross  the  horizon  at  its 
fixed  and  stated  time.  More  than  once  he  has  gone  on 
with  the  execution  of  a  complicated  operation  requir- 
ing several  assistants,  with  myself  alone  to  help  him, 
and  the  unavoidably  detained  aids  would  straggle  in, 
to  be  chagrined  at  witnessing  an  operation  nearly  or 
quite  completed. 

"It  is  only  by  undeviating  promptness  and  certainty 
in  keeping  engagements  of  whatever  nature,  when  once 
made,  that  the  professional  man  can  be  sure  that  his 
day's  work  is  well  done;  can  gain  or  maintain  stability 
of  reputation;  can  keep  his  friends,  confound  his  ene- 
mies, or  hope  to  be  rewarded  with  prosperity. 

"  Most  men,  in  any  vocation,  come  sooner  or  later 
to  enjoy  some  one  portion  of  their  work  more  than  all 
the  rest.  The  treasure  of  Professor  Gunn's  heart, 
professionally,  was  his  free  surgical  clinic;  the  work 
he  most  loved  was  done  here,  and  the  doing  of  it  gave 
him  the  most  happiness.  No  possible  combination  of 
circumstances,  except  absolute  physical  disability  or 
absence  from  the  city,  seemed  powerful  enough  to  keep 
him  out  of  the  well  known  arena  at  the  appointed  hour 
of  his  coming.  Who  can  ever  estimate  the  good  done 
by  this  man,  in  this  one  department  of  labor;  and  all 
of  it  done  for  charity's  sake?  His  best  efforts,  his 
accumulated   knowledge,  his   manhood's   energies,   his 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  363 

bodily  strength,  given  avrav  for  years,  as  freely  and 
bountifully  as  tlie  air  we  breathe  is  given  us. 

"In  this  estimation  of  good  done,  there  must  be 
counted  not  alone  the  hearts  he  comforted,  the  pain 
assuaged,  the  deformities  relieved,  the  diseases  cured, 
by  his  skill  and  genius  and  coui'age;  but  it  must  be 
remembered  as  well,  that  the  thousands  of  young  men 
who  have  listened  to  the  words  of  wisdom  as  they  fell 
from  his  lips  so  eloquently  and  full  of  practical  worth, 
have  garnered  up  the  jewels  of  his  ripe  experience  and 
in  their  turn  are  spreading  the  same  blessings  among 
the  homes  of  almost  every  hamlet,  village,  town  and 
city  in  this  broad  land. 

"  Probably  no  person  now  living  has  witnessed  as 
much  of  the  professional  work  of  Professor  Gunn,  as 
myself.  The  list,  if  made,  would  embrace  almost  every 
known  surgical  procedui'e,  from  the  simplest  act  the 
surgeon  ever  does,  to  the  most  complicated  undertaking 
he  ever  presumes  to  think  of  doing.  On  none  of  these 
occasions  did  he  fail  to  be  fully  prepared,  and  instantly 
ready  to  meet  any  and  all  the  exigencies  or  indications 
of  the  case  in  hand.  This  readiness  could  not  possibly 
have  been  the  result  of  any  haphazard  processes  of 
thought;  on  the  contrary,  it  was  the  outgrowth  of  the 
most  painstaking  and  deliberate  consideration  of  all  the 
circumstances  present  in  or  surrounding  the  disease  to 


364 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 


be  eradicated,  or  the  injury  to  be  repaired.  Before 
going  to  any  operation,  it  evidently  was  his  rule  quietly 
to  sit  down,  and  carefully,  step  by  step,  go  over  every 
one  of  the  procedures  indicated,  and  to  set  aside  as 
carefully,  in  its  proper  place,  every  instrument  or  appli- 
ance necessary  for  their  execution. 

"Further,  not  only  were  the  plain  requirements  of 
each  case  provided  for,  but  as  well,  the  possible  acci- 
dents likely  to  occur  under  any  care,  were  considered, 
and  their  harm,  in  case  they  happened,  was  reduced  to 
the  minimum,  by  their  occurrence  being  promptly  met 
with  the  proper  remedy  always  at  hand. 

"In  this  characteristic  of  his,  rests  one  of  the  main 
elements  of  his  great  success  as  a  surgeon.  I  say  to 
you  that  no  man  living  or  dead,  no  matter  how  great 
the  halo  of  glory  or  recollections  that  may  arise  at  the 
mention  of  the  name,  ever  had  more  or  better  success 
attend  his  efforts  to  relieve  the  ailments  of  suft'erins: 
humanity,  than  followed  as  the  direct  sequence  of  the 
work  of  this  truly  eminent  surgeon. 

"One  word  in  token  of  the  honesty  and  modesty  of 
the  man,  and  my  story  is  ended.  I  do  not  refer  to  his 
honesty  in  'common  things.  Every  line  of  his  coun- 
tenance, every  motion  of  his  magnificent  form  bespoke 
him  an  honest  man.  I  allude  to  his  honesty  in  giving 
professional  opinions.     No  patient's  understanding  was 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  365 

ever  befogged  by  any  trickery  of  words,  or  disingenu- 
ousness  of  expression,  or  misrepresentation  of  facts. 
Professor  Gnnn's  opinions  were  always  given  in  plain 
words,  easily  understood,  altliongli  perhaps  sometimes 
bluntly  spoken.  No  doubt  could  remain  in  any  patient's 
mind  as  to  his  opinions  when  once  expressed.  They 
were  always  expressed  modestly  as  well,  entirely  free 
from  ostentation,  egotism  or  self-assertion. 

"  There  comes  to  me  an  instance  of  this  trait  of 
character  which  occurred  during  the  second  year  of  my 
pupilage  as  a  student  of  medicine  in  this  college,  and 
the  first  of  his  connection  with  it  as  a  teacher.  I  hap- 
pened to  be  present  at  a  consultation  between  several 
surgeons — among  the  number  was  Dr.  Gunn — held  to 
consider  the  nature  of  a  tumor.  The  examination  was 
carefully  made,  the  growth  was  large,  and  to  me,  a 
novice,  seemed  sufficiently  characteristic.  When  it 
came  time  for  Professor  Gunn  to  give  his  opinion,  he 
said,  '  Gentlemen,  I  have  practiced  sui'gery  long  enough 
to  learn  that  it  is  a  wise  thing  in  a  doubtful  case  to  be 
modest  in  expressing  an  opinion.  I  do  not  know  what 
this  tumor  is  and  think  it  had  better  be  let  alone.'  In 
my  short  experience  it  has  been  my  good  fortune  to  see 
diseases  considered,  and  operations  for  their  relief  done 
by  many  prominent  surgeons  in  many  places:  but  I 
have  never  met  one  who  excelled,  and  very  few  who 


366  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

equaled  Professor  Gunn  in  exactitude  of  diagnosis  or 
skill  in  execution. 

"  His  self-reliance  was  wonderful  in  its  perfection, 
at  times  startling,  at  the  ease  and  steadiness  with  which 
it  enabled  him  to  approach  safely  close  to  the  vital 
parts  of  the  living  body.  To  him  a  hair's  breadth  was 
oceans  of  room,  and  yet  never  any  display  of  reckless- 
ness. All  this  is  readily  understood,  and  proper  appre- 
ciation awarded,  when  his  wonderful  attention  to  details 
and  unerring  knowledge  are  remembered. 

"  No  man  was  ever  more  just  to  his  fellow  practi- 
tioners. I  have  stimulated  my  memory  many  times, 
since  assuming  this  duty,  in  order  to  bring  to  my  mind 
any  instances,  on  his  part,  of  adverse  criticisms  of  co- 
laborers.  I  do  not  recall  any.  His  time  was  too 
precious  to  expend,  his^mind  too  fair  to  indulge  in 
the  fruitless  results  of  personal  animosities,  spites  or 
wrangles. 

"Perhaps  some  one  may  say: — 'You  have  sounded 
his  praises,  now  let  us  hear  of  his  faults.' 

"I  never  hear  any  one  speak  of  the  faults  of  Pro- 
fessor Gunn  without  my  eyelids  closing  involuntarily, 
and  there  comes  up  before  me  a  vision  of  the  heavens 
on  the  brightest  of  nights.  There  are  the  fixed  stars; 
their  light  is  never  dimmed ;  they  are  unchangeable  and 
everlasting.  How  pleasant  it  is  to  carry  the  eye  from  one 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  367 

to  another,  trying  to  estimate  their  difference  in  beantj 
as  they  seem  to  vie  with  each  other  in  glory !  Suddenly 
there  flashes  across  the  view  a  flaming  meteor,  momen- 
tarily obscuring  all  else,  as  it  passes  quickly  on  into 
outer  darkness.  Who  will  say  that  the  beauty  of  the 
scene  has  been  marred  by  the  intruder;  nay,  it  has 
been  increased. 

"So  with  our  friend;  his  virtues  and  excellences  are 
as  the  fixed  stars ;  they  become  brighter  and  fuller  the 
longer  and  oftener  they  are  examined;  they  are  im- 
pressed upon  our  hearts  indelibly.  His  faults,  if  he 
had  any,  have  gone  like  a  flash  into  oblivion." 


CHAPTER  THIJRTY-FOURTH. 

REV.   DR.   CLINTON   LOCKE. 

^^n^HEEE  are  certain  relations  between  a  pastor  and 
^  a  parishioner,  certain  confidences  between  a 
rector  and  one  who  has  been  intimately  associated  with 
him,  which  often  enables  the  one  to  say  things  about 
the  other,  which  might  not  come  with  so  good  a  grace 
from  any  other  man. 

"Such  were  the  relations  between  Dr.  Moses  Gunn 
and  the  writer  of  these  lines.  They  had  long  been 
united  together  as  rector  and  warden,  and  for  many 
years  as  a  valued  member  of  the  medical  staff  of  the 
hospital  of  which  the  writer  is  president,  and  above  all 
they  were  dear  personal  friends  and  accustomed  to  meet 
each  other  in  the  most  free  and  friendly  intercourse. 
This  may  color  the  writer's  sentences  and  influence  his 
judgment,  but  the  memoir  of  which  this  forms  a  part 
is  the  tribute  of  loving  and  friendly  hearts  and  is  meant 
to  speak  warmly  and  partially.  It  is  not  some  cold 
compilation  of  an  uninterested  historian  writing  about 
some  one  dead  a  century  or  two  ago. 

368 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  369 

"I  well  remember  in  the  year  1867,  Dr.  J.  Adams 
Allen  saying  to  me: — 'I  have  found  a  new  parishioner 
for  you  and  I  can  thoroughly  indorse  him  as  a  good 
churchman  and  a  noble  fellow.  He  is  my  old  friend 
Moses  Gunn.'  Soon  after,  Dr.  Allen  brought  him  to 
see  me,  and  I  was  struck,  as  every  one  Avas,  with  his 
splendid  physique.  Tall,  stately,  well-proportioned, 
every  feature  of  the  face  and  every  movement  of  the 
body  expressing  energy  and  force,  he  was  in  every 
sense  of  the  word,  a  noble  looking  man;  and  seemed  to 
grow  more  so  as  he  grew  older. 

"He  met  me  with  that  fi'ank  cordiality  which  put 
us  both  at  oui'  ease,  for  he  said  in  a  moment : — '  I  was  at 
chui'ch  last  Sunday ;  I  like  the  little  church,  I  like  vou 
and  I  liked  the  sermon,  and  I  know  I  shall  be  happy 
there.'  Xo  rector  could  resist  that,  and  that  first  inter- 
view was  the  beginning  of  a  long  and  lasting  friend- 
ship. 

"Let  me  speak  of  him  first  as  a  churchman.  He 
had  gone  through  as  much  mental  and  spiritual  con- 
flict as  men  of  his  profession  are  apt  to  do  if  they  are 
at  all  thoughtful  men.  That  materialism  which  saps 
the  faith  of  so  many  of  his  fellow  doctors  had  spread 
all  its  specious  glamour  before  him.  He  had  weighed 
its  arguments  and  found  them  wanting.  He  said  to 
me  once: — 'I  often  doubt  terribly,  but  I  say  to  myself, 


24 


370  MEMORIAL    SKETCHES. 

I  looked  tills  thing  all  over  once,  I  went  throiigli  tlie 
arguments  and  I  decided  that  the  immense  balance  of 
testimony  was  in  favor  of  Christianity,  and  I  cannot 
take  time  to  go  all  over  it  again.' 

"He  was  not  even  willing  to  admit  the  claims  of 
systems  of  evolution  which  Christian  men  think  per- 
fectly reconcilable  with  the  faith  of  the  scriptures. 
He  said  they  could  not  be  scientifically  proved  to  his 
satisfaction,  and  that  he  was  impatient  of  mere  theo- 
ries. He  told  me  once  that  he  thought  sermons  on  the 
difiiculties  between  science  and  revelation  very  un- 
necessary, for  there  was  no  real  difficulty,  their  spheres 
did  not  touch.  I  did  not  agree  with  him  in  this,  though 
I  find  many  devout  doctors  think  as  he  did. 

"I  remember  once  when  the  sermon  had  been  on 
the  '  Powerlessness  of  infidelity  to  move  the  great  mass 
of  the  people,'  he  stopped  after  church  to  say  that  the 
sermon  had  done  him  much  good,  and  that  he  would 
make  use  of  some  of  the  arguments  in  his  talks  to 
students.  Many  times  he  has  said  to  me  'I  wish  I  had 
more  faith.'  There  are  but  few  of  us  who  cannot  re- 
echo his  sentiments  and  share  his  yearning. 

"He  was  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church  fi'om  sincere  and  honest  conviction.  He  was 
what  we  call  now  an  old-fashioned  high  churchman, 
holdino"  firmly  to  the  doctrines  of  Apostolic  Order  and 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  371 

Sacramental  Grace,  and  any  violation  of  any  kind  of 
vow  or  obligation  was  to  liini  unbearable.  His  Prayer- 
Book  to  him  was  next  thing  to  his  Bible  and  he  held 
with  the  utmost  firmness  to  its  regulations.  He  was 
not  given  to  'new  things'  as  he  called  them,  and  any 
change  in  the  ceremonial  had  to  recommend  itself  very 
plainly  to  his  judgment  before  he  would  thoroughly 
accept  it. 

"When  the  parish  resolved  to  adopt  the  vested 
choir  and  to  give  up  the  very  excellent  quartette,  to 
whose  fine  rendering  of  the  music  he  was  much 
attached,  he  was  quite  disturbed;  but  he  grew  to  like 
the  music,  and  said  to  me  before  he  died: — 'It  makes 
the  service  much  more  devotional  than  the  old  way,  I 
must  confess  it.' 

"In  chui'ch  he  was  always  thoroughly  devout  and 
one  of  the  most  attentive  listeners  a  preacher  ever  had; 
not  only  attentive  but  appreciative ;  and.  never  forgot  to 
bestow  that  word  of  commendation  which  is  ever  so 
grateful  for  a  rector  to  have,  when  lie  knows  it  is  not 
the  outcome  of  hollow,  insincere  flattery. 

"During  the  best  years  of  his  life  his  connection 
with  a  large  hospital,  which  required  Sunday  morning 
duties,  often  obliged  him  to  be  absent  from  his  place  in 
church.  Once  while  he  was  so  ill,  when  he  heard  I  had 
been  told  it  was  impossible  to  see  him,  he  said: — 'I  do 


372  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

not  think  it  would  hurt  me  to  see  my  pastor ;  at  least 
I  feel  that  I  ought  to  see  him. ' 

"Let  me  speak  of  him  as  a  parishioner.  He  took 
for  many  years  an  active  part  in  the  management  of 
the  parish,  being  a  vestryman,  and  after  that  for  some 
years  one  of  the  wardens.  These  offices  were  to  him 
not  mere  places  of  honor,  but  duties  which  he  conscien- 
tiously discharged  and  to  which  he  gave  his  closest 
attention. 

"  He  gave  always  a  proportion  that  he  thought  just, 
and  no  argument  could  make  him  give  more,  or  sanction 
any  measure  which  he  did  not  think  could  honestly  be 
carried  out.  Not  only  did  he  do  faithfully  his  duty  as 
an  officer  of  the  parish,  but  he  aided  in  the  development 
of  the  social  side.  After  the  fire,  it  was  necessary  to 
give  that  feature  more  prominence  than  is  now  done, 
and  it  was  always  a  pleasant  thing  to  me  to  see  a  sur- 
geon so  eminent  and  whose  time  was  so  closely  occupied, 
devoting  himself  to  the  pleasure  of  others  in  whom  he 
had  no  interest,  except  that  they  were  fellow  parish- 
ioners. 

"I  often  asked  his  advice  about  parish  matters,  and 
always  with  profit.  He  Avas  perhaps  a  little  conserva- 
tive for  one  as  pushing  as  I  then  was,  but  I  have 
reason  to  remember  him  many  times,  when  I  recognize 
that   his   course  was  wise  and  his  suggestions  those 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  373 

which  it  was  best  to  follow.  I  was  sorry  when  he  felt 
that  his  duties  on  Sunday  precluded  any  longer  retain- 
ing the  wardenship. 

"As  a  friend  Doctor  Gunn  was  always  constant  and 
true.  His  friendship  was  not  one  of  words  but  of 
deeds.  Never  can  the  writer  forget  when  he  went  to 
consult  the  doctor  about  his  son's  commencing  the 
study  of  medicine,  how  affectionately  he  was  met,  how 
the  doctor  immediately  placed  at  his  disposal  all  his 
influence,  and  prepared  to  take  the  young  man  under 
his  own  care,  and  to  look  after  him  as  if  he  were  his 
own,  and  he  did  so  nearly  to  his  dying  day,  so  that 
next  to  his  own  family  there  were  none  that  felt  his  loss 
more  deeply  than  the  rector  and  his  wife,  for  they 
recognized  what  their  son  had  lost  in  a  friend  and 
counselor,  and  how  impossible  it  would  be  to  supply 
the  place  of  him  who  had  gone. 

"  Doctor  Gunn's  manners  were  very  courteous,  and 
well  might  be  called  elegant.  He  conversed  well  in 
general  society,  was  fond  of  it,  and  wherever  he  went, 
and  no  matter  how  great  the  assemblage,  was  always  a 
conspicuous  figure.  In  his  consulting  room  and  by 
the  operating  table,  there  was  a  quietness  and  a  decided 
manner,  which,  while  very  necessary  there,  would  be 
out  of  place  in  the  drawing-room;  but  he  well  knew 
how  to  make  the  distinction  between  the  two  places. 


374  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

"  In  St.  Luke's  Hospital,  with  whicli  he  was  long 
connected,  and  where  the  writer  (being  president) 
often  saw  him,  he  was  thoroughly  beloved  by  both 
nurses  and  patients.  He  was  never  at  a  loss,  never 
gave  dubious  directions,  never  asked  for  impossibilities. 
Common-sense  characterized  all  his  actions,  mingled 
with  a  tenderness  for  his  poor  suffering  charges  which 
always  called  forth  my  admiration.  I  often  consulted 
him  about  the  affairs  of  the  hospital,  and  always  with 
profit.  He  had  its  interests  at  heart  and  rejoiced  over 
every  mark  of  its  prosperity.  I  feel  sure  that  the 
same  would  be  said  of  him  in  the  other  large  hospitals 
with  which  he  was  connected  and  to  which  he  rendered 
the  most  important  services. 

"  It  is  not  my  place  to  speak  of  him  as  a  professor 
in  Rush  Medical  College,  or  as  a  surgeon  of  the  very 
first  rank.  Those  are  phases  of  his  life  which  are  best 
described  by  his  brother  doctors,  who  can  much  better 
understand  their  merits  than  one  who  merely  views 
them  from  an  unlearned  standpoint.  He  was  a  man  of 
extensive  reading,  outside  of  his  profession,  and  was 
ever  occupying  himseK  with  some  favorite  hobby — not 
a  useless  one.  Once  it  was  German,  in  which  he  be- 
came a  proficient;  later  it  was  French,  which  he  read 
with  the  greatest  assiduity ;  then  again  it  was  astronomy 
to   which   he   gave   himself  with   enthusiasm,   and  in 


MEMORIAL    SKETCHES.  375 

which  for  a  long  time  he  took  the  greatest  delight. 
Horsemanship  was  natural  to  him  and  like  the  Cen- 
taurs of  old,  horse  and  man  seemed  one! 

"It  is  seldom  that  one  so  distinguished  passes  a  life 
so  long,  with  so  few  enemies.  He  never  provoked 
opposition,  although  most  decided  in  opinions  and  tena- 
cious of  his  own  judgment. 

"  He  died  amid  universal  regret;  who  that  ever  saw 
it  can  forget  that  crowded  church,  filled  with  the  dis- 
tinguished as  well  as  others,  showing  how  truly  they 
all  felt  the  loss  the  cause  of  humanity  had  sustained? 

"  It  was  a  most  impressive  funeral;  and  not  the  least 
of  it  was  the  burial  just  as  the  shades  of  night  were 
darkening.  One  could  scarcely  distinguish  faces.  The 
few  lanterns  that  were  held  up  to  enable  the  priest  to 
read  the  words  of  committal,  and  to  aid  those  charged 
with  the  last  sad  duties  threw  a  wierd  and  solemn  light 
on  the  scene.  Here  was  left  his  body,  but  his  soul,  we 
trust,  was  already  in  that  Paradise  of  the  Blessed  where 
God's  servants  rest  from  their  labors. 

"  Let  me  end  this  sketch  with  the  words  which  I 
pronounced  over  his  grand  form,  draped  for  burial,  as  it 
lay  in  his  open  coffin  before  the  altar  in  the  hour  of 
his  funeral: — 

"  We  sometimes  feel  when  we  are  summoned  to 
pay  the  last  tribute  of    respect   to  the  dead  that  the 


376  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

passing  away  of  the  personage  we  are  burying  is  of  no 
importance  anyway.  The  world  was  no  better  for  him ; 
a  negative  quantity;  his  death,  as  Scripture  says,  'a 
keel  passing  through  water  which  leaves  no  trace  be- 
hind.' But  we  feel  differently  from  that  to-day.  The 
man  around  whose  coffin  we  are  gathered  will  be  widely 
missed.  It  does  make  a  difference  to  the  community 
whether  he  lived  or  died;  he  does  leave  a  place  which 
will  not  readily  be  filled.  A  marked  man  in  many 
ways:  Marked  in  his  personal  appearance;  in  every 
assembly  he  stood  distinguished  for  his  glorious  pres- 
ence, and  we  all  know  how  much  that  impresses  itself 
on  every  one.  Marked  for  his  energy  and  eagerness; 
although  no  longer  young,  no  young  man  was  ever 
fuller  of  fire  and  dash,  and  swiftness  of  execution. 
Marked  for  his  dexterity;  with  unerring  precision  the 
knife  in  his  hand  found  its  place,  and  did  its  work. 
Marked  for  his  accurate  knowledge  of  the  human  body, 
and  the  cleverness  and  finish  with  which  he  ever  im- 
parted that  knowledge  to  the  thousands  who  these  many 
years  have  come  under  his  instruction.  Marked  for  his 
courtesy  and  kindness,  treating  the  poorest  patient  as 
though  she  were  a  duke's  daughter.  Marked  for  that 
steady  purpose,  that  unflinching  devotion  to  his  art, 
that  brilliant  perception  of  each  case,  which  raised  him 
to  the  highest  rank  of  his  profession. 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  377 

"But' let  me  in  this  place,  leaying  his  professional 
career  to  those  far  abler  than  I  to  picture  it,  speak  of 
him  in  other  lights.  He  was  marked  for  untarnished 
honor  and  unswerring  integrity.  He  carried  almost  to 
a  passion  his  strict  discharge  of  obligation,  and  careful- 
ness in  business  accounts.  He  was  marked  for  an 
intense  sympathy  with  the  struggles  and  lives  of  the 
young  men  whom  he  led.  He  was  marked  for  a  simple, 
unostentatious,  religious  life.  He  had  very  little  pa- 
tience with  modern  materialism — very  little  patience 
with  the  infidelity  some  of  his  profession  see  fit  to  put 
forth.  He  believed  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ — 
long  ago  cast  in  his  lot  with  it,  and  lived  in  the  profes- 
sion and  practice  of  it  until  his  death.  He  regretted 
often  that  professional  duties  kept  him  so  much  fi'om 
the  services  of  the  sanctuary.  He  was  for  some  years 
senior  warden  of  his  church,  and  for  many  years  one  of 
its  most  honored  members.  I  mourn  him  as  a  dear 
friend  as  well  as  a  valued  parishioner.  He  lived  a 
long,  busy,  useful,  model  life.  He  has  entered  now 
into  his  Christian  rest.  May  he  sleep  in  peace,  and 
may  perpetual  light  shine  upon  him." 


A  FEW  LAST  WOEDS. 

A  NNIYERSAEIES  are  always  pleasurable  or  sad. 
^^  A  time  comes  in  our  lives  when  they  are  all  sad. 
The  anticipations  and  realities  of  Christmas  had  unusual 
charms  for  Doctor  Gunn.  This  remembrance  of  their 
father's  happiness  must  forever  be  enshrined  in  the 
hearts  of  his  children. 

Christmas  morning  of  1888  was  bright  and  sunny, 
but  no  darker  day  could  dawn  for  me.  A  light  fall  of 
fleecy  snow  covered  the  spot  to  which  we  had  made  our 
sad  pilgrimage.  On  the  pure  drapery  we  laid  immor- 
telles and  holly.  How  strange  and  unnatural  it  seemed 
and  how  futile  any  attempt  to  penetrate  that  veil  which 
hides  from  us  the  future!  Waves  of  sorrow  surged 
through  my  mind  as  we  retraced  our  journey;  and  as 
we  reached  oui*  home,  the  direful  reality  came  upon  me, 
that  the  soul  of  Christmas  was  forever  gone. 

On  one  of  the  last  days  the  doctor  said,  "Do  you 
know  we  have  lived  together  nearly  forty  years  ?  In  a 
few  more  months,  it  will  be  forty  years."  He  kept 
account  of  all  such  anniversaries,  but  this  account  was 

378 


MEMORIAL   SKETCHES.  3<9 

left  for  me  to  keep  with  the  blackest  thread  of  anguish 
that  could  be  woven  into  the  woof  of  an  anniversary. 


In  a  tender  letter  of  sympathy  fi'om  Mrs.  Custer* 
are  a  few  words  in  reference  to  herself,  which  I  hope 
she  will  pardon  me  for  quoting: — 

"In  this  last  hour  I  have  finished  the  proof  of  my 
book  about  my  beloved  husband.  For  eighteen  months 
it  has  wrapped  me  round  like  a  cloak  I  could  not  un- 
loose day  or  night.  In  li^-ing  over  again  the  days  that 
are  forever  gone,  I  have  suffered  anguish ;  but  the  com- 
fort it  gives  me  to  pay  tribute  to  one  I  love,  has  given 
me  strength!"  ..... 

"There  is  nothing  that  can  give  you  courage  but  a 
full  life.  Work  has  been  my  salvation.  May  our 
Heavenly  Father  open  a  way  to  you  to  forget  yourself! 


Her  words  have  been  re-echoed  in  my  heart.  To 
dwell  with  loving  care  on  one,  who  was  to  me  the  type 
of  ti'ue  manliness,  has  been  the  solace  of  my  compan- 
ionless  hours. 

Those  who  had  known  him  long  and  intimately 
could  not  know  all  his  inner  life.     He  thanked  God  for 


380  MEMORIAL   SKETCHES. 

mere  existence.  He  never  outlived  the  romance  of  his 
love,  and  perhaps  it  is  not  too  much  to  add,  that  over  a 
period  of  almost  forty  years,  in  letters  to  his  wife, 
were  passages  worth  living — and  dying  for. 

And  now  that  the  sad  pleasui'e  of  my  work  is  done, 
I  feel  the  di'ead  pall  of  my  loneliness  settling  down 
around  me;  I  see  no  light,  nor  the  out-stretched  hand 
that  guides  me  on  my  way — I  grope  and  stumble  in 
my  path,  and  take  the  journey  step  by  step^alone! 


t. 


(\'^% 


